September 2005
Mohtarma Bhutto
condoles death of Akbar Umrani
Islamabad September 26, 2005: Former
Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma
Benazir Bhutto has condoled the death of Akbar Umrani a PPP activist in
Dubai who was killed in Karachi on Saturday by unknown assailants.
In a condolence message the former Prime Minister paid rich tributes to
Akbar Umrani and said that in his death the Party has lost a dedicated and
committed worker who never shirked from giving sacrifices for the cause of
democracy and the Party.
A die-hard Party activist Akbar Umarni has also been President of Peoples’
Students Federation Baluchistan. Presently he was living and working in
Dubai. He is also a cousin of former PPP Balcuhistan President and member of
the Central Executive Committee Sadiq Umrani.
Mohtarma Bhutto said that she was deeply anguished over the death of Akbar
Umrani. "His services will be long remembered".
She said that the cold blooded murder of Akbar Umrani in Karachi in broad
day light showed how the law and order situation was worsening every day but
the rulers were oblivious of it. She demanded immediate arrest of Akbar
Umrani’s killers and punishment to them in accordance with the law.
Mohtarma Bhutto prayed for the departed soul to rest in eternal peace and
also for the courage to the members of bereaved family to bear the loss with
fortitude.
CEC and Judiciary urged to stop rigging in the elections
Islamabad, 26 September 2005: A
consensus candidate for Tehsil Nazim in Lahore, Dr. Zahid Akram has appealed
to the Chief Election Commissioner and the judiciary to intervene for
stopping rigging in the third phase of local bodies elections in Lahore.
In a statement Dr. Zahid Akram said that the proposers and seconders of five
of his covering candidates have been kidnapped in an effort to rig the
elections. He said that the government party is intimidating his voters and
supporters to get it’s nominee elected unopposed and several of his
supporters and voters have been kidnapped by the goons of the government
candidate. He accused the government party candidate of using state
machinery for his election campaign.
He called upon the Election Commission and the judiciary to fulfil its
constitutional role and not let the election become another useless exercise
like the first and the second phase of the local bodies elections.
Daily Express (Urdu)
Monday, September 26, 2005: “LAHORE:
Remy Butz, an eminent jurist who gave third party judgment in Swiss case,
has said that there was no truth in the Swiss case filed against MBB. This
case was initiated on political bases and any conviction in this case is out
of question. S/He said that non one was convicted in any money laundering
case in the Swiss history. MBB’s case cannot crawl forward from
investigation. He said conviction is a distant dream but this case cannot be
found fit even for a judicial trial.
In a exclusive interview with Daily Express (Karachi), at Lahore residence
of Matloob Warraich, Remy said whatever Daniel Davoud had stated in his
report stands nullified, who had given his report some five to six days
before his leaving the office. I see no plus point for the government of
Pakistan in this case. The documents submitted in the case show the
signatures of SAZ when he was in jail. How is it possible that a person who
is in jail comes to Switzerland to sign deal with any company. According to
Swiss laws, obtaining kickbacks and commission is no crime. There are only
some sectors where kickbacks are not obtained. However, there is no crime of
getting commission in the case initiated against MBB, if ever obtained.
S/He said that this case is in the process of investigation on the complaint
of government of Pakistan and had there been any serious nature of case it
could have been decided in two years. This case has taken seven years in
investigations and as per Swiss laws, this case stand disposed off
automatically after ten years.
S/He said that anybody can keep an account in Switzerland though an account
can be opened in Switzerland even without money. S/He doesn’t know that
whether government of Pakistan has exerted any pressure of any nature on
Swiss government. S/He said case has five important points. How can a case
be tried at two places. Swiss authorities were kept blind of the fact that
trial of this case has already been held in Pakistan. Swiss Investigation
Magistrate gave decision on his last day in service and fact is that no
account of MBB has been located. And when investigation failed to locate any
account of MBB how the Swisss investigation authority can issue an order.”
Taj Haider questions non-Pakistani representing Pakistan in car race
Demand inquiry into doling out of state patronage at cost of national honour
Islamabad September 27, 2005: Mr. Taj
Haider, Central Information Secretary of Pakistan Peoples Party has taken
serious note of the press reports that some Anglo Mongol Adam Langley was
made to represent Pakistan in A 1 motor car races instead of Pakistani race
car driver Nur Ali who had been nominated at the highest level to represent
Pakistan.
In a statement today he said that it was very disturbing to note how easily
government patronage was doled out to some even at the cost of national
honour and prestige.
The foreigner driver who illegally flew the national flag in the race held
yesterday not only finished last but was accused by commentators doing live
coverage on television and later by other competing drivers from other
countries of breaking rules and causing serious safety risks on the race
track. Thank God no serious accident took place because of him. If the
reports appearing in most credible newspapers are correct than all this has
been done to defame the country and the nation by a handful pf person
enjoying government patronage, he said.
Mr. Taj Haider said that very serious questions emerged from the whole
episode. How the A-1 franchise was obtained and are the local people having
this franchise really qualified to have such a prestigious franchise? Why
was the experienced Pakistani driver Nur Ali made to sit home and a
foreigner inexperienced driver given the opportunity to fly the national
flag? How did this foreign driver obtain a National Identity Card/ Passport?
What did the Federal Ministry of Sports and Culture do to ensure that
Pakistan was not made a laughing stock at the international level?
Mr. Taj Haider demanded that a thorough inquiry should be conducted in the
matter and such unscrupulous elements who were playing with our honour and
prestige should be exposed and brought to book.
PPP asks CEC to intervene in LB polls in Multan
Islamabad September 27, 2005: Senator
Mian Raza Rabbani, the Opposition Leader in the Senate has urged the Chief
Election Commissioner to urgently take serious note of the allegations of
rigging and manipulation by the King’s Party on the eve of the third phase
of local bodies’ polls.
In a statement today he said that a large number of complaints have been
filed by the awam dost candidates in the LB elections with the election
commission. He said that now this is the responsibility of the election
commission to fulfil its responsibility and to take notice of the same.
He reminded the Election Commission that the awam dost candidate for Town
Nazim Multan Makhdoom Mureed Hussain Qureshi was being harassed by the
King’s Party and urged the CEC to take note of his complaint already lodged
with him.
He said that Makhdoom Mureed had in his application to the CEC already given
details of how his opponent after being nominated by the Chief Minister
Punjab was now using state machinery to rig the polls in his favour.
He said that Makhdoom Mureed has informed the CEC that the govt agencies,
and also the MNA’s and MPA’s of the ruling party are openly canvassing for
Rai Arif Mansab, saying that the decision of the Chief Minister has to
implemented at all costs. The police department and others are pressurizing
the voters by threats and are using strong-arm tactics and registering false
cases. Voters were being kidnapped and the whole election exercise had been
rendered a farce.
Senator Raza Rabbani has called upon the Election Commission to fulfil its
constitutional role and not let the nazims’ elections become another
farcical exercise as happened in the first and second phases of LB polls.
Mohtarma Benazir
Bhutto Welcomes ICG Report on How to End Instability in Pakistan Through
Democratic Reform
Islamabad, 29 September 2005:
Former Prime Minister and Chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party, Mohtarma
Benazir Bhutto, on behalf of the party has welcomed the report of the
International Crisis Group released this week.
The well-respected body has analysed the political situation in the country
noting that the military regime has refused to "cede real power to civilians
" which has led to worsening instability.
The report notes that the " mainstream parties struggle to survive,
subjected to coercion and violence". The report states that General
Musharraf has created PML(Q) and "brought it to power through rigged
elections".
Commenting on the local elections, the ICG said, "the moderate parties again
bore the brunt of state coercion, particularly the PPP and PML-N".
In addition to making recommendations to the political parties for reform,
the ICG made recommendations to the regime. These recommendations included
asking the Musharraf regime to first do away with the discriminatory
requirement for an electoral candidate to hold a bachelor's degree, second
amend the political parties act allowing parties to run their affairs as per
their requirements, third to consult the Opposition on an independent
election commission, fourth to refine party finance laws making it possible
for corporate contributions to political parties as well as allowing state
funding to them, fifth to remove the two term limit for election to Prime
Minister and remove the ban on student unions.
The ICG called upon the International Community, in particular the United
States and the European Union to
(1) Press the Musharraf regime to resume the democratic transition by
holding free and fair local, provincial and national elections and tie
political, economic and aid policy towards Pakistan to tangible progress
along that democratic path.
(2) Help strengthen moderate democratic parties by:
(a) Calling upon the government to stop immediately all unlawful arrests,
detentions and other harassment of opposition leaders and workers;
(b) Ensuring that high-level visitors consult with leaders of the main
opposition parties; and
(c) Enhancing financial support and capacity building activities to include
technical assistance and training in professional management techniques for
party headquarters and documentation of party finances.
PPP vows to
struggle for rights of labor
Raza Rabbani recalls blocking anti labour legislation in Senate
Islamabad September 24, 2005:
Mian Raza Rabbani, Deputy Secretary General, PPP and Leader of the
Opposition in the Senate of Pakistan has issued the following press
statement:
"The PPP is a Party of the working class and it has always struggled for the
protection of their rights and against unfair labour practices. The Party
has been in the vanguard of the struggle for their economic emancipation.
"In the Senate yesterday the Party was able to prevent the passing of an
anti labour legislation. The Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan
Bill, 2005 in section 11 contained the provision that the Pakistan Essential
Services (Maintenance) Act, 1952 will be applicable. This would have meant
that there would be no trade union activity and the rights of the workers
would be at the mercy of the management. An amendment was moved by me on
behalf of the Party for its deletion, after an agreement with the Treasury
benches the amendment was accepted.
"It will be recalled that it was Ms Bhutto’s Government that reinstated all
the employees that had been dismissed under various Martial Regulations in
the past and the Party assures the working class that all those people who
have been laid off without the due process of the law in the present tenure
of the Government will be reinstated.
"The importance that the Party attaches to the working class can be judged
by the fact that the candidate of the Party for the slot of the Naib Nazim
in the city of Karachi is a trade union leader, this shows the integration
of the Party with the trade union movement.
"The Party under the leadership of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto is committed to
the cause of the working class".
PPP Women Wing
Islamabad holds demonstration against General Musharraf
Islamabad, 22 September 2005: The
Women’s Wing Pakistan Peoples Party Islamabad held a protest demonstration
in front of Parliament House today against General Musharraf’s statement
humiliating Pakistani women in Washington during his US visit.
The demonstration was led by Nargis Faiz Malik, President Women Wing PPP
Islamabad and attended by dozens of women. The Chairperson Pakistan Peoples
Party, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has asked General Musharraf to tender apology
to Pakistani people especially the women of Pakistan. Nargis Faiz Malik
addressing the protestors said that General Musharraf has exposed his true
face of a dictator by expressing such shameful remarks about Pakistani
women. She said that General Musharraf is a male Chauvinist who is
victimising Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and trying to oust her from politics.
She said that women of Pakistan are well able to protect their respect and
would not allow any dictator to disrespect them.
She said that the incidents of rape and other excesses against women have
increased since General Musharraf has illegally and unconstitutionally taken
over the country. He has encouraged the rapists by providing protection to
the rapist of Dr. Shazia Khalid. Nargis Faiz Malik warned General Musharraf
and his regime to restrain themselves from committing excesses against women
and demanded him to tender his apology to Pakistani nation immediately.
Mohtarma Bhutto welcomes Commonwealth’s concern over slow democratisation in
Pakistan
Islamabad September 22, 2005: Former
Prime Minister and Chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma Benazir
Bhutto has welcomed the proceedings of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action
committee which discussed Pakistan's slow progress to democracy as well as
the uniform issue during its session in New York on 17 September 2005.
In the meeting, the Commonwealth Ministerial Group reviewed developments in
Pakistan since its last meeting in London in February 2005. It received an
update from the Secretary-General on the local bodies' elections which were
observed by a Commonwealth Expert Team (CET) in August 2005.
The Group expressed concern on the slow progress in the democratisation
process. It stressed that there were areas where improvements still needed
to be made to the electoral process and the political environment in
Pakistan. CMAG endorsed the recommendations of the CET for strengthening the
independence of the Election Commission and empowering it to use its
executive powers to enforce its decisions and the code of conduct for
elections.
In a statement today the PPP Chairperson said that she hoped that with the
Group's recommendation to the Secretary-General to intensify ongoing high
level contact with Pakistan, the Commonwealth would be able to play a more
substantive role in helping the people of its member state obtain their
democratic rights.
She noted that following the local elections which were rigged at all
levels, there were sections in Pakistan that were becoming disillusioned
with the possibility of Islamabad ever holding a fair election. Such
disillusionment was leading them to consider approaching other international
organisations to hold elections.
It may be noted that although PPP has not yet decided to approach the United
Nations or the Commonwealth to conduct Pakistani elections, the United
Nations has been conducting elections in certain parts of the world.
During its meeting, CMAG reaffirmed that the holding by the same person of
the offices of the Head of State and Chief of Army Staff is incompatible
with the basic principles of democracy and the spirit of the Harare
Commonwealth principles, as well as CMAG's expectations. It also restated
its strong view that until the two offices are no longer combined in the
same person, the process of democratisation in Pakistan will not be
irreversible. The Group again urged President Musharraf to relinquish one of
his two offices, certainly no later than the end of the current Presidential
term in 2007.
CMAG called on the Government of Pakistan to continue and intensify progress
in fostering a sustainable and inclusive political culture, improving
democratic governance, strengthening political and oversight institutions,
supporting local governments, protecting human rights, respecting media
freedoms and improving the position of women and minorities. It also called
for the further widening of the democratic space so that all who wish can
participate in the electoral process.
CMAG decided to keep Pakistan on its Agenda.
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration
(CMAG) was chaired by the Hon Olu Adeniji, Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Nigeria, and was attended by Hon Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, Prime
Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Samoa, Hon Frederick A
Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Public Service of The Bahamas
(Vice-Chairman), Hon Pierre Pettigrew, Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Canada, Hon K. Natwar Singh, Minister of External Affairs of India, Hon
Michael Frendo, Minster of Foreign Affairs of Malta, Hon Anura Bandaranaike,
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Sri Lanka and Hon Dr Abdul-Kader
Shareef, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
of the United Republic of Tanzania
PPP rebuts official spokesman's statement
Islamabad September 22, 2005: Reacting to the official
spokesman's statement on the proceedings before the Investigation Magistrate
in Geneva on Monday in the SGS case spokesman of the Party Senator
Farhatullah Babar has said that the regime was trying to confuse the people
by giving a spin to the proceedings before the Magistrate.
In a statement today the spokesman said that the core of Mohtarma Bhutto's
deposition before the Investigation Magistrate was that she rejected the
military regime's allegations that the companies or accounts of those
companies belonged to her. She also dismissed the allegation that she had
purchased the jewellery.
The spokesman said that Mohtarma Bhutto stated before the Investigation
Magistrate that the pre-shipment inspection contract was awarded in a
transparent manner. The contract stood on its own merit as was evident from
the report of the auditors demonstrating the financial gains for Pakistan
and its people, she had said.
"This is Mohtarma Bhutto's position, one she took unwaveringly since 1997
and the regime has not been able to produce any evidence to the contrary".
He asked the regime should address these issues raised by Mohtarma instead
of confusing the people by giving a one sided version of what transpired
before the Investigation Magistrate in Geneva.
The spokesman said that it was a farce to claim that the trial court in
Pakistan had convicted her. As the tape transcripts proved, the sentencing
order had been written by the regime itself for the Judge to sign. The
Supreme Court overturned the sentence on appeal due to the 'bias of the
trial judge'. This resulted in the resignation of two judges from the Bench.
The Supreme Court's ruling as well as tapes of conversation between the
trial judge, Minister of Law, Chief Justice Lahore High Court and the NAB
prosecutors proved beyond doubt a conspiracy to murder justice with the
victim as Islam's first elected Chief Executive Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
"The regime suffered a major set back in its attempts to perjure justice
further with the statement of Mohtarma. To cover up the essence of
Mohtarma's statement that neither the accounts nor the companies were hers,
the regime was trying to confuse public opinion but it would not succeed".
He said that unsubstantiated allegations, followed by inquiries,
regurgitating allegations followed by orchestrated media trials is the stuff
by which the military junta seeks to tie down the popular leaders on the one
hand and divert public attention from the real economic and social issues on
the other.
It is the fate of the junta to twist in frustration as the Commonwealth
focuses once again on the importance of democracy and the General gets a
beating for his outrageous remarks concerning raped women, he said, noting
that the General was once again trying to fool people with false
allegations.
PPP meeting in Islamabad
Condemns rigging in polls, vows not to yield to dictatorship
Islamabad September 23, 2005: A Party meeting of the PPP in
Islamabad today condemned the massive rigging and manipulation by the regime
in the local bodies’ polls and vowed not to yield to fascist and
dictatorship under any circumstances.
The meeting held at the Party’s secretariat in Islamabad under direction of
the Party Chairperson Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was presided over by the
General Secretary Jehangir Bader and attended by the provincial PPP
presidents and Senators and MNAs of the Party.
Those who attended the meeting included Senators Raza Rabbani, Safdar Abbasi
and Farhatullah Babar and MNAs Raja Pervez Ashraf, Naveed Qamar, Shah
Mahmood Qureshi, Yousuf Talpur, Naheed Khan and Shery Rehman. Provincial
party presidents of Punjab, Sindh, Frontier and Baluchistan were also
present in the meeting and gave reviews of the local bodies’ polls in their
provinces.
Condemning the rigging the meeting expressed the view that the regime had
resorted to massive fraud to make the people disillusioned with democracy
and elections. It said that manipulated power transfer at the grass root
level was fraught with dangers to the federation, undermined social cohesion
and bode ill for the future of democracy in the country.
The meeting took stock of the situation as to how rigging was done through
splitting up of districts, illegal transfers of officials despite ban,
forcing candidates to change political loyalties, disqualifying candidates
just a few days before polling, violation of election code, snatching of
ballot boxes, pre stuffed ballot boxes, kidnapping of candidates by armed
goons and misuse of state funds. It also welcomed the European Union report
that said that the local elections were marred by rigging and said that the
report was a slap on the face of the regime.
The meeting deplored that the Election Commission was rendered ineffective
by the regime and not allowed to perform its constitutional duties and there
was no hope of fair, free and democratic elections unless the EC was
thoroughly reformed and reorganised and the Human Rights Commission of
Pakistan was given a role in the conduct of elections. The meeting also
saluted the courage of the workers who fought elections despite heavy odds.
The meeting reposed complete confidence in the leadership of Mohtarma Bhutto
and resolved to fight dictatorship and not yield to fascism and tyranny.
Mohtarma Bhutto welcomes European Union report about flaws in local
elections
Islamabad September 23, 2005:
Former Prime Minister and Chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma
Benazir Bhutto has welcomed the European Union report which highlighted the
flaws in the local elections along with numerous complaints of pre-poll
rigging from the opposition parties.
In a statement today the former Prime Minister said that the people of
Pakistan were disempowered and their social and economic issues neglected.
Empowerment of the people of Pakistan, through fair and free elections, was
essential to the progress of the women, children and people of Pakistan, she
said.
The EU report said that its observers received numerous reports of pre-poll
rigging from the opposition parties prior to the elections.
These included the unfair splitting up of districts and delimitation of
tehsil, and union council constituencies, unauthorised transfer of local
government officers, and pressure on candidates to change political
allegiance.
The opposition parties, in their pre-poll rigging reports forwarded to EU
observers, also complained about the disqualification of candidates only a
few days before polling, institutionalised kidnapping of candidates, misuse
of state funds, including the active participation by the head of state in a
party’s campaign etc.
The EU observers reported serious problems on the days of elections such as
presiding officers disallowing genuine ID cards, blatant breaches of
election code by candidates and politicians, ballots box rigging including
party officials removing real boxes and replacing them with pre-filled boxes
and different methods of multiplying voting.
The report also took note of the local elections which were the most violent
in the history of the country. According to EU observers, there was some
serious violence, around 240 people were injured and an estimated 40-50
deaths despite the heavy deployment of law enforcement agencies countrywide.
PPP Lambasts regime for
victimising Begum Nusrat Bhutto
Deplores remarks of accountability judge as endorsing the prosecution
Islamabad September 25, 2005:
Pakistan Peoples Party has strongly condemned the re-opening of a dead
reference against the former first lady Begum Nusrat Bhutto and termed it as
political vendetta of the worst kind.
An Accountability Court judge in Lahore on Friday reopened an accountability
case against the widow of the country’s first directly elected Prime
Minister that has remained dormant for nearly five years.
In reopening the case the Judge asked the NAB as to what steps it has taken
for the arrest of Begum Nusrat Bhutto and also passed remarks that amounted
to endorsing the NAB allegations against Begum Nusrat Bhutto of owning
assets worth 1.5 billion dollars in foreign countries.
The re-opening of a dead and dormant case against a person who is too sick
to defend herself is a worst example of abuse of judicial processes to
victimise political opponents, said the vice Chair of PPP and leader of the
Parliamentary Party in the National Assembly in a statement today.
"It only demonstrates the viciousness and vendetta of rulers", he said
adding that it was intended only to torture the Bhutto family and pave way
for eliminating the genuine representatives of the people to perpetuate
dictatorship.
He said that he was astonished over the remarks of the Accountability Judge
that amounted to endorsing the prosecution story and said that it only
showed how the hand picked accountability judges played to the tune of the
NAB and rulers. He urged the judiciary, the lawyers and the human rights
bodies to take note of the remarks of the accountability judge that amounted
to pre-judging the accused.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim said that Begum Nusrat Bhutto was too sick to stand
trial and under the law could not be tried as she was not in a position to
defend herself..
The PPP leader also warned the mandarins of NAB to keep in mind the fate of
the previous czars of accountability and also the rulers.
Is this the way the family of the nation's great hero who gave this country
the nuclear capability, brought back the prisoners of war, sought to erase
the shame of surrender in Dacca and gave the country self respect and
esteem, Makhdoom Amin Fahim asked
The PPP leader said that this immoral drama was being enacted only to
torment the former Prime Minister Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto. He said that the
military regime was bent upon discrediting and destroying genuine
representatives of the people through a sham accountability process. The
accountability under NAB and Musharraf is selective and designed exclusively
to advance the political agenda of the regime, he said.
PPP asks CEC
to intervene in LB polls in Multan
Islamabad September 25, 2009:
Raja Pervez Ashraf MNA and Deputy Parliamentary
Leader of the Party in the National Assembly has urged the Chief Election
Commissioner to urgently take serious note of the allegations of rigging and
manipulation resorted to by the King’s Party on the eve of the third phase
of local bodies’ polls.
In a statement today he said that a large number of awam dost candidates for
the third phase had made formal complaints to the Election Commission and
that it was now the responsibility of the EC to address those complaints.
He reminded the Election Commission that the awam dost candidate for Town
Nazim Multan Makhdoom Mureed Hussain Qureshi was being harassed by the
King’s Party and urged the CEC to take note of his complaint already lodged
with him.
He said that Makhdoom Mureed had in his application to the CEC already given
details of how his opponent after being nominated by the Chief Minister
Punjab was now using state machinery to rig the polls in his favour.
He said that Makhdoom Mureed has informed the CEC that the govt agencies,
and also the MNA’s and MPA’s of the ruling party are openly canvassing for
Rai Arif Mansab, saying that the decision of the Chief Minister has to
implemented at all costs. The police department and others are pressurizing
the voters by threats and are using strong-arm tactics and registering false
cases. Voters were being kidnapped and the whole election exercise had been
rendered a farce.
Raja Pervez Asahraf called upon the Election Commission to fulfil its
constitutional role and not let the nazims’ elections become another
farcical exercise as happened in the first and second phases of LB polls.
PPP USA holds
demonstration against General Musharraf
Islamabad, 19 September 2005: Pakistan
People Party USA held a huge protest demonstration in New York against
Pakistani military dictator General Musharraf on Saturday, the 17th
September.
The demonstration was attended by all the office bearers of the party and
members of Asian American Network. The demonstrators held Pakistani and
Party flags, placards and Banners demanding General Musharraf to leave
presidency, restoration of democracy, withdrawal of all false cases against
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, Senator Asif Ali Zardari and other PPP leaders.
The PPP, USA passed several resolutions demanding General Musharraf’s
resignation, end of military intervention in country’s politics, withdrawal
of false and concocted cases against PPP leadership, and the military to
return to barracks.
A large number of PPP workers attended the protest against General
Musharraf, organized by ANAA, a women group against violence on women. The
demonstration was held in front of Roosevelt Hotel, where General Musharraf
stayed during his US visit.
The Islamic
Heritage
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
The Islamic Heritage: How am I to unfold this opulent heritage of ours;
where can I begin? Where should I find the common meeting ground, the point
of assimilation of our civilization with yours? Some say it lies in the
conflict of the Crusades, others say it is to be found in the bloody
conquest of Constantinople, yet others hold it to be the Moorish occupation
of Spain, and still others maintain that the true blending of the West and
the Islamic East came when Sir Thomas Roe set foot on Emperor Jehangir's
Hindustan. To lift the curtain from any point would entail the omission of
some handsome part of the Islamic civilization. It would mean the omission
of the immortal Omar, the dauntless Khalid, the wise Akbar, the brave Tariq
and a host of other outstanding celebrities, including Ali, Abu Bakr and
Amar. How can I dare to call this talk "The Islamic Heritage" if such names
are omitted? How can I have the effrontery to start from as late as the
Crusades merely because the Western role in our lives is arbitrarily said to
have started from that period? At the same time, it may seem out of place to
reveal those aspects of Islamic history with which you do not share a common
denominator. Nevertheless, I shall try to integrate all the important events
and contributions of Islam in a manner that will interest you.
Throughout this talk, I shall refer to the accomplishments of Islam as my
own accomplishments, for I genuinely consider any accomplishment of the
Islamic people as a personal feat, just as I consider any failure of the
Muslim World as a personal failure. There is something binding about the
Muslim World in spite of the fact that it is torn by dissension. This may
seem strange to you, but it is true. This unique attachment is partly
because of a common religion which from the outset emphasized the strong
ties of one Muslim to another as an essential part of the religion. This
thought is cherished by the common association of the Muslim people in a
geographical link that stretches from Europe to about the farthest corner of
Asia.
I am not here to preach Islam to you or to threaten you with its dormant
powers: I only want to tell you of the Islam that was a burning light of
yesterday, the ember that it is today, and the celestial flame of tomorrow,
for that is how I envisage the future of Islam. I must also tell you that
religiously speaking, I am not a devout Muslim. I do not say my prayers
regularly, I do not keep all the fasts. I have not yet been on a pilgrimage
to Mecca. Therefore, religiously speaking, I am a poor Muslim. However, my
interest is soaked in the political, economic and cultural heritage of
Islam. I will not discuss the religious implications of the faith, but its
political and cultural developments. Before plunging into this task, I feel
it essential to briefly give you a background of the essentials of Islam,
the birth of the religion.
Arabia of the 6th century was surrounded by countries that had adorned world
civilization. On one hand was Alexandria in Egypt, Damascus in Syria,
Antioch in Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, ancient Babylon, Baghdad in Iraq, the
pageantry of India, and still farther East, the splendid civilization of
China. On the other side of Arabia was the grandeur of Greece and the
splendour of Rome and the majesty of the Byzantine Empire. Arabia was a
little known and undisturbed expanse of sand in this array of jewels
encircling it; even the reflections of these civilizations gave no light to
the barbaric nomads of the desert. Not only was the country barren, but also
the minds of its people. They were a people diseased with degrading moral
codes. These people buried their daughters alive, considering the birth of
one a disgrace; and a man among them could have a woman by merely throwing
his cloak over her. Mecca was their centre of worship, with three hundred
and fifty idols as their holy shrines.
But soon, these lizard-eating and moribund people of the desert were to be
aroused by a vigorous. force, a venerable and potent force that was to
transform their lives. The founder of this dynamic force, whose religion was
to embrace all the three known continents with lightning speed, was
Mohammad, his religion was Islam, which means submission to God.
His fundamental tenets were:
a) The indivisibility of God
b) The simplicity of belief
c) The brotherhood of man
He did not claim supernatural power or relationship with any deity but said
he was a humble messenger of the one and only Creator of the World. He was a
rebel and a destroyer of all that was evil and decadent. Mohammad was at
times forced to use the sword, not to defend himself, but to protect the
infant religion of Islam. If the Arabs of his day had planned only to kill
him, he would have given his life without hesitation, but the blood-thirsty,
lawless nomads of the desert sought to destroy Islam and not Mohammad. These
Arabs were brutal and fierce but it was Mohammad who cultivated these people
and stimulated them with moral and intellectual curiosity, refined their
laws, prohibited gambling and drinking, gave protection to women, raised
them from the lowest conditions to the most distinguished place in
civilization. He inculcated in them a sprit of brotherhood and loyalty, fed
them with virtuous ideals, and established for them a meaningful code of
existence. Without any nebulous symbolism, without any ostentatious
exploitation of altars. Mohammad enshrined on immortal message in the hearts
of not only his Arabs, but of the entire mankind.
"Ye people! Hearken to my speech and comprehend the same. Know that every
Muslim is the brother of every other Muslim. All of you are of the same
equality," said he to his people again and again until the believing Negro
became the equal of the Khalifa of Islam. Europeans, conscious of the racial
complexion of civilization, may know that from the first day racial
differences were stamped out in Islam. Through a free intermingling of
Muslims, the dominance of one particular race over another was abolished. It
may be worthwhile to substantiate these remarks by pointing out that when
the Aryans invaded India centuries ago, they immediately segregated the
people of the country, drawing up the obnoxious caste system, but when the
Mughals entered India, they allowed marriages with the Hindus, and
associated them in running the state. Freed slaves even became sultans.
Now I shall deal briefly with the rapid spread of Islam. In a hundred and
fifty years the march of Islam covered vast areas. On the West, the
nineteen-year old Tariq shattered the bulwarks of Spain, and with it,
captured the strategic rock which is named after him, Jabal-ul-Tariq-the
rock of Tariq or, as we now call it, Gibraltar. In the Eastern theater, the
followers of Mohammad the Prophet reached the banks of the Indus and the
Ganges. From the palaces of Vienna and France on the one side to the Great
Wall of China; from the steppes of Russia and the fortresses of Venice to
the plains of Iran and the jungles of Indonesia and Malaya; from the
romantic Danube to the ever-winding Yangtize-vast territories came under the
influence and control of people who were derelict until the Prophet of Islam
created in his followers the spirit to spread a doctrine of equality to the
world. Many westerners believe that Islam was a danger to Christianity, ~ut
this notion is unfounded. At the peak of Islam's strength, the Christians
were treated kindly everywhere and given full liberty to worship according
to their ways. The Prophet had frequently stated that the lives, properties
and laws of the Christians and the Jews were under the protection of God,
and he said, "If anyone infringes their rights, I myself will be his enemy
and, in the presence of God, I will bring a charge against him."
There have been numerous Muslims who have strayed from the Islamic path, but
that has been in spite of the law and not because of it. By token, there
have been many Christians who have been most unchristian in their dealings.
Christian priests, bishops and popes have repeatedly sworn to exterminate
the infidels, and as late as the time of Gladstone, Turkey was in danger of
being exterminated solely because she was a Muslim country. Isabella and
Ferdinand of Spain did a much better job of wiping out the Muslims of Spain
than any "infidel" had done with the Christians in any Muslims empire.
Tolerance is not the monopoly of any one religion. All prophets and
reformers have preached the love of humanity, and the followers of all the
religions have in some way violated the teachings of their founders.
Most of the literature I have read in this country on Islam has tried to
show the intolerance of the Muslim people and the militant character of
their religion. There is a reason for this propaganda and it does not lie in
a true reading of history. It is based on prejudice arising out of rivalry.
During the Dark Ages, at the time when the kings and popes of Europe were
exterminating "unbelievers," the Muslims were harbouring non-Muslims in our
lands. At the time when bigotry and hate drove out the non-Christians from
Europe in the name of heresy and inquisition, the Islamic world opened its
gates to them and gave them protection of their religious and social rights.
Pandit Nehru, the Prime Minister of India, says, "The Christianity that was
practiced there at the time was narrow and intolerant, and the contrast
between this and the general toleration of the Muslim Arabs, with their
message of human brotherhood, was marked. It was this that brought whole
peoples, weary of Christian strife to their side."
So supreme was the Muslim thrust in the West that the popes were occupied in
organizing the Christian world to exterminate the infidels in the name of
God. Eight crusades were mustered against Islam; on eight occasions the
armies of Europe set out to defeat the Muslims in their own land. The first
crusade, as you know, proved disastrous for the Muslims. The Christian
armies, pent up with zeal and determination to crush the infidels, did a
savage job of liquidating as many Muslims as came their way. The barbarism
of the first crusaders had badly scarred the face of the human race. It may
have been a glorious victory of the Christian God, but it was a gruesome act
of man against man in the name of God.
After the first crusade, from the Christian point of view, all the other
crusades were failures. When the intrepid Ghazi Salahuddin recaptured
Jerusalem, he was magnanimous to the defeated Christians, allowing all of
them to leave the Holy City after paying a ransom, and those who could not
afford a ransom, were permitted to leave through the beggars' gate; while
those who wished to stay on, were allowed to do so, inspite of the fact that
they had formed a dangerous fifth column on previous occasions. During that
time, Muslims were not only engaged in repulsing the crusaders, but also the
ferocious Mongols who repeatedly attacked Muslims from the East.
About 1228, Frederick II, grandson of Barbarossa, after being excommunicated
by Pope Gregory, went to Palestine to negotiate with the Muslims. He was
received honorably and was successful in inducing the Muslims rulers to
restore Jerusalem to him in the name of the Christian nations. This was the
most magnanimous gesture ever made, but it did not satisfy the Pope; on the
contrary, it made him still more furious because he declared in anger that
one should fight the infidel and not befriend him.
By citing these examples, I am not trying to state that only we are capable
of tolerance, but that we also have an impressive record of virtue and moral
goodness; that we are different from what the West thinks of us in the East.
We are not barbarians. Instead, we opened the doors of civilization and
culture.
The spread of Islam upset the status quo in Europe and Asia to such an
extent that in the eighth century Pepin the Short, the son of Charles
Martel, obtained the sanction of the Pope to declare himself the ruler of
the Frankish nation merely because his father had defeated the Saracens in
the Battle of Tours in 732. This Muslims defeat in a single battle ended the
Merovingian Dynasty and established the Carolingian line of kings, a dynasty
which has been the pride of the Christian world because it gave birth to
Charlemagne.
It would suffice to say, without going into further.detail, that before the
advent of the industrial revolution it was Islam that challenged the
combined powers of the West and the East.
Toynbee says, "Centuries before communism was heard of, our ancestors found
their bugbear in Islam. As late as the 16th century, Islam inspired the same
hysteria in the western hearts as communism in the 20th century. Like
communism, it wielded a sword of the spirit, against which there was no
defence in material armaments."
It is difficult to describe the yearnings of man to build for permanence. To
probe into the depths of a civilization is a time-consuming task. To
delineate the achievements of art and literature, and of science and
philosophy, of any people is a strenuous undertaking. How am I to explain
the contributions of a Hafiz or an Igbal in this brief period? Where can I
ask you to tarry for a moment and admire the fine works of art? Shall it be
Omar's Mosque in Jerusalem or the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore or the Jurna
Masjid in Delhi or the city of Fatehpur Sikri? The followers of the Prophet
have built for permanence wherever they have exerted their influence, at
Granada, at Cairo, at Jerusalem, at Baghdad and at Delhi. The splendid
Mosque of Omar, the gigantic Mosque of Hussain and the tall, dignified Qutb
Minar depict in a most striking manner the Muslim talent for creative art.
In the lofty and masculine fort at Delhi, the silver and gold ceilings, the
black marble floors, the magnificence of the Peacock Throne and splendour of
the jewelled halls, well befit the Persian inscription written in the
rhythmic sweep of the Arabian script, which still survives, "If anywhere on
earth there is paradise, it is here, it is here." The forts of Agra and
Fatehpur Sikri are today in defeated ruins, destroyed not by age but by
rapine and plunder. Their debris is a constant reminder of our defeat, a
living symbol of our disintegration. The conquerors of India must have been
blind in their aesthetic senses, for they uprooted all the delicate beauty
of our forts and mosques, our palaces and our monuments. Lord William
Bentinck once even thought of selling the Taj Mahal to a Hindu contractor
who believed that better use could be made of the material.
The living pride of our architecture is the Taj Mahal, which we in our
romantic feelings call "Love in Marble." It is the epitome of perfection,
the most profound and concise symbol of love, the most lasting appreciation
of man's affection, the most serene exhibition of his purity. On its main
entrance is a quotation from the Quran which invites "the pure in heart" to
enter "the gardens of paradise." There is nothing foreign about the Taj; it
is the product of Muslim thinking and Muslim taste. Will Durant, the
American historian, says, it is "completely Mohamedian, even the skilled
artisans were, in part, brought in from Baghdad, Constantinople and other
centres of the Muslim faith."
The gardens of Shalimar in Lahore and Nishat in Kashmir, with their
beautiful symmetry of the lawns and the cool surroundings chosen with
immaculate care, the careful plantations of alluring flowers and the
systematic structure of sparkling fountains, are a living wonder of man's
efforts to strive for the highest form of beauty. H.G.Wells says, "The
artistic and architectural remains of Moguls are still very abundant. When
people speak of Indian art without any qualification, it is usually this
great period that they have in mind." At this stage, it will be interesting
to note that before the Mongols were converted to Islam, they were ruthless
and uncivilized, but after the mass voluntary conversion of the descendants
of the warlike Chengez Khan, they developed refined and cultivated values.
Now, I would like to mention some of the Muslim contributions in the fields
of literature and science, starting with some of the universities of today
and going back to the past contributions.
The University of Al-Azhar in Cairo has the largest student body in the
world, and it is the cultural seat of the Muslim World. Then there is the
University of Istanbul, an excellent centre of learning with all the modern
facilities for educational research. Another outstanding venue of Islamic
learning is the University of Aligarh, the educational capital of the
Muslims of the subcontinent. Yet another university of fame is the Osmania
University in Hyderabad, Deccan; its fine campus, splendid buildings, and an
outstanding faculty have made it a headquarter of learning.
The influences of Muslim knowledge have been tremendous. Arabic words such
as zero, cipher, traffic, admiral, magazine, alcohol, caravan, cheque, and
tariff have become international words. The Moors of Spain have a
distinguished history. Their hard work added much to Islam's wealth.
Agriculture reached progressive stages under the Moors in Spain. They
practiced farming in a scientific manner, fertilizers were utilized by them,
they were the first to adapt crops to the quality of the soil. The Moors
excelled in horticulture; they produced new varieties of fruits and flowers,
and introduced to the West many trees and plants from the East and wrote
treatises on farming. Their skilful use of irrigation is still utilized in
Spain. They introduced the plantation of sugar, rice and cotton and also
perfumes, syrups, and a variety of wines. The Moors pioneered and perfected
the carpet: silk, silver and gold embroidery; and leather manufactures.
Says Henrietta Wagner, "We are indebted to the Saracens of Spain for the
elements of many of the useful sciences, especially chemistry. They
introduced the simple Arabic figures which we use in arithmetic. They taught
mathematics, astronomy, philosophy and medicine, and were so superior in
knowledge to the Christian nations of Europe that many Christians of all
nations went to be educated in the Arabian schools of Cordova."
Upto the fifteenth century the earth was considered as the centre of the
universe, with the sun moving around it. However, as early as the seventh
century, the Quran in its 36th Sura said, "The sun moves in a fixed place
and each star moves in its own heaven." This explains the movement of the
sun around an axis and the movement of the moon, the earth and other bodies.
When the western scientists read this explanation in the 36th Sura of the
Quran, they ridiculed it. Nine hundred years later the world of science
discarded the Ptolemaic conception, and Western astronomy adopted a line
parallel with that of the Quran.
The zero was unknown until Muhammad Ibn-Musa invented it in the ninth
century. He was also the first person to utilize the decimal notation and
give the digits the value of position. However, many Indians claim that the
zero is an Indian invention. Nevertheless, it would be safe to say that
algebra particularly is a creation of the Muslims. Al Khwarizmi, besides
writing treatises on astronomy and arithmetic, made great contributions in
algebra dealing mainly with quadratics. Omar Khayyam, who reformed the
calendar in 1079, went even further with his contributions by using cubic
equations. Spherical trigonometry is another Muslim achievement inventing
sine, tangent, and cotangent. In physics, the pendulum is an invention of
the Arabs. AlHazen developed optics and challenged the view of Ptolemy and
Euclid that the eye sends out visual rays to its object. The Arabs built
several observatories and astronomical instruments which are still used.
They calculated the angle of the ecliptic and the precession of the
equinoxes. Our universities also concentrated strongly on metaphysics,
zoology and medicine.
In chemistry, the Muslims were the first to discover and use nitrate of
silver, and nitric and sulphuric acids. Physiology and hygiene were
developed by Muslims and the rnateria medica used by our forefathers was
practically the same as today's. Muslim surgeons understood the use of
anaesthetics centuries ago and performed some of the most difficult
operations known. At the time when in Europe the practice of medicine was
forbidden by the Church, the Muslims had a well-advanced science of
medicine. Ibn Sina (Avicenna) known as "the Prince of Physicians", taught
medicine and philosophy in Ispholtan, and from the 12th to the 17th
centuries he was used in Europe as a guide to medicine. Al-Razi, who wrote
more than 200 treatises on medicine, is famous for his theses on the causes,
development and remedies of smallpox and measles.
In manufactures, the Muslims surpassed the world in beauty of design and
accuracy of workmanship. Their contribution to the development of textiles
is well. known. Muslims made glass and pottery of the finest quality,
developed all the intricate secrets of dyeing yarns and invented processes
of dressing leather. The manufacture of paper, which the Muslims learned
from the Chinese by way of Central Asia, was brought to Europe by the Arabs.
Before that, Europeans wrote on parchments.
Commerce was greatly developed by Muslim traders. This gave an impetus to
worldwide contacts and spread Arabic as a world language.
At the time of Khalifa Al-Mansur's rule in the middle of the eighth century,
a research and translation bureau of Greek, Syriac, Zend, Latin and Sanskrit
was established in Baghdad. Old monasteries in Syria were explored for
valuable manuscripts. Greek philosophy, mainly that of Plato and Aristotle,
was brought to the Muslim world by scholars driven out from old Alexandrian
schools. Ptolemy and Euclid were studied extensively in universities at
Baghdad and Cordova. When the works of Aristotle were banned in European
universities, Muslim scholars encouraged their study in these centres of
learning. Bertrand Russell says that Aristotle's reputation is mainly due to
them; in antiquity he was seldom mentioned, and was not regarded as on the
same level as Plato. The philosophical works of Plato and especially of
Aristotle, have had such a great influence on the Muslim mind that ever
since the eighth century they have become standard subjects for study in
Islamic schools. The materialist school of Greek philosophy led to the rise
of rationalism and materialism in the Muslim world. The intellectual clashes
of the two schools of thought spread from Baghdad over all the Muslim
countries, and finally reached Spain. In an age of religious fanaticism, the
nature of God was discussed most freely in the various schools of Muslim
metropolises. Ibn-e-Rushd, (Averroes) the illustrious philosopher, discussed
with full freedom the nature of God in a spirit of free inquiry. Despite the
rigid religious fanaticism of the ruling dynasty his views were heard and
tolerated.
Muslim literature has been prolific both in poetry and in prose; Omar
Khayyam as a poet pales into insignificance when compared with poets of the
caliber of Sadi or Hafiz or Nizami. The dazzling tales of Arabian Nights are
only a fraction of our literature. However, our literature is little known
to the West, perhaps because it is difficult to translate and perhaps
because of the traditional difference in the matters of style and subject
matter.
The flowering of Muslim culture has derived its inspiration from many
sources; the Arabs have given it sensitivity and simplicity; the Turks, a
spirit of vigour; the Indians, a rare subtlety; and the Iranians, the grace
and delicacy of their creative talents.
We are living in a world torn by dissension, a world in which international
relations are dominated by two factors - collective security and the balance
of power, and according to the influence of our chaotic times, we are forced
to align ourselves in blocs. In one breath, the leaders of the world preach
peace and, in the next, threaten to obliterate civilization with atom bombs.
Our position is pathetically unstable. Imperialism has sapped our vitality
and drained our blood in every part of the globe. This is the time when the
young generation of Muslims, who will be the leaders of a new force, of an
order based on justice, wants the end of exploitation. We still retain a
host of homogeneous affinities and with the unity of our culture we can
unite again politically. In an Islamic confederation lies the future
security of the disciples of Mohammad. In order to achieve this goal, we
will have to tussle with destiny. To civilization we have given the essence
of growth, and in return we have become a plaything of foreign powers. In
Indonesia we are being butchered because we demand freedom from foreign
oppression, and we have enemies from Morocco to Java. I do not ask for unity
in order to seek revenge, but in order to safeguard those rights which still
remain in our possession. In order to be safe and secure, we have to be
powerful, and that we cart only do through unity. Force, unfortunately, has
to be met by force. In our hands lies the future of our people and the
responsibility of protecting their liberty. We will give to the world a
blueprint of a brotherhood of mankind just as our founder gave the formula
of human co-operation to the world thirteen hundred years ago.
During the First World War, the Indian Muslims refused to fight against the
Muslims of Turkey. When Turkey was attacked in 1911, the Muslims of India
felt a spontaneous wave of personal sympathy for them. The Muslim leader,
Mohammad Ali and his brother were imprisoned by the British for their
pro-Turkish feelings. The Khalifat Movement epitomized the fraternity of a
Muslim people for their fellow Islamic nation. Mohammad lqbal, the poet of
Pakistan, has been immortalized for expressing Muslim sentiments on the fate
of Turkey. When Kamal Pasha died, a gloom blanketed Muslim India.
I was very young then, but I still remember my servant telling me with tears
in his eyes that he would rather have heard of the death of his only son
than to be told of the death of Mustafa Kamal. I must point out the deep
feeling of brotherhood among the Islamic people of Indonesia and the Arab
nations. After World War II, we in our country took a great deal of interest
in the crisis of Iran and were jubilant when the tension subsided. When
Pakistan came into being we received Muslim delegations from all over the
world, and were touched by the affection shown by the Muslims of the world
for our new State. Very recently in an article, "Labours of the North West",
in the London Economist, tributes were paid to the sense of Islamic
brotherhood developing between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Making a comparison
between the British and Pakistan administrations in the tribal areas, the
article says, "The Pakistan government has had the advantage of being able
to appeal to Islamic sentiments, and it has, consequently, been able to show
decisiveness which seemed lacking in the previous administration."
I could go on indefinitely into the evidence of harmony that exists among
the Islamic peoples. However, there is no guarantee that this feeling will
last forever; as a matter of fact, there are signs of new tensions. It is my
firm belief that these bonds will have to be consciously strengthened before
the Muslim nations begin to industrialize on a larger scale. With rapid
technological advances, and the values going into it, traits of the past
might come under new strains. It is incumbent upon us to consolidate our
advantageous position at this stage and build a base for a new order bound
by ancient ties. Another factor that will promote this unity is the sense of
grief and grievance felt by all Islamic nations against the calculated
injustice done to them, the common oppression experienced by all of them
with out exception.
Some people object to an Islamic confederation on the grounds that there
will not be any economic gains from such an association. 'The co-operation
of nations is an advancement. It has political and economic benefits but
even if the benefits are not colossal, even if certain Muslim countries have
to make sacrifices economically for a few years, such a union should take
place, for one blood, one culture, and one heritage subjected to ruthless
exploitation for over a century demand this association. This is the century
in which underdeveloped countries are being developed. Our potential
economic resources are abundant as is amply indicated by the Western
interests in our theatre of the world.
Unfortunately, because of our feebleness, our economic resources are being
most unscrupulously exploited by outsiders. The exploiters are shamefully
busy filling the coffers of the money-mad and cut-throat business interests
of the West. An Islamic confederation even at its weakest, will take charge
of the wealth of its people and place it in the hands of its own people.
Now I would like to present a skeleton of this plan. According to the law of
evolution, this association will. develop in stages; first will come a
harmonizing of our own people by massive contacts, by a large-scale exchange
of students, professors, artists and all other intellectuals who influence
the minds of men. Those intellectuals, through conventions and conferences
will discuss vital common problems. In due course permanent information and
cultural centres and public relations bureaux will be established in our
large cities. Our people will be encouraged to travel in our countries on
concessional rates. Passport restrictions will be lifted, and communications
developed. These efforts will be followed by economic co-operation climaxing
in a loose political alliance, from one continent to the other.
If we work conscientiously in this direction, I think that within the space
of the next twenty years, this movement will take a definite shape. I must
make it clear that it will not be based on a theocratic principle. There are
some non-Muslim countries in the Middle East which are today members of
Muslim Arab Leagues and which will willingly enter this union because of
mutual interests. We will have to look mainly in the direction of Pakistan
for this divine inspiration. From Turkey we will have to take the means of
attaining methods of modernity without losing the Islamic identity, and from
Iran the spirit of accommodation. The Arabs and the Africans, the Indians
and the Indonesians will each render a profound contribution. The new
concepts will have to be mingled with the spiritual values, the maxims of
democracy with those of socialism. We will have to raise from our soil an
Ataturk or a Jinnah who will mobilize our people, rekindle our sprits,
reconcile our traditions and customs with technological developments, and
establish an impregnable bulwark.
There are some people who say that Turkey will shy away from such a union.
There is no truth is such a belief. Turkey was forced to retreat from the
Muslim orbit because the weaknesses of the Muslim nations were heavily
sapping her vitality. Thus, because of the derelict position of the Muslim
world and the delicate position of Turkey in European affairs, Turkey for
her own security had no alternative but to concentrate fully towards the
developments in the West. Because of her unique position and strategic
location, Turkey has been forced to sign agreements with countries that have
always sought to destroy her. She has been forced to bow her head to a
country thousands of miles away from her only because she cannot turn today
in another direction. Turkey has no desire to lose her Islamic character,
and with the organization of a potent unification of the Muslim world,
dictating its own terms, Turkey will align herself with her own people. With
her own people awakening, Turkey will one day gladly untie the chains of the
West and amalgamate with those who are of her own kind.
Today, I am as hopeful of an Islamic confederation as I was of the creation
of Pakistan before the division of India. Pakistan has taken its rightful
place in the family of nations; tomorrow a confederation of the Islamic
nations will be a reality. Those who mocked the foundation of the largest
Muslim nation are now retreating from their previous stands. It is
inevitable that the small pebbles that are endeavouring to obstruct the flow
of events will be washed aside. We shall toil ceaselessly for the
rejuvenation and renaissance of our people.
Toynbee says, "Pan-Islamism is dormant-yet we have to reckon with the
possibility that the sleeper may awake, if ever the cosmopolitan proletariat
of the 'westernized' world revolts against western domination and cries out
for anti-western leadership. That call might have incalculable psychological
effects in evoking the militant spirit of Islam - even if it has slumbered
as long as the Seven Sleepers-because it might awaken echoes of the heroic
age. On two historic occasions in the past, Islam has been the sign in which
an oriental society has risen up victoriously against an occidental
intruder. If the present situation of mankind were to precipitate a 'race
war', Islam might be moved to play her historic role once again."
Destiny demands an Islamic association, political reality justifies it,
posterity awaits it, and by God we will have it. Courage is in our blood; we
are the children of a rich heritage. We shall succeed.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
University of Southern California
Long Angeles
April 1, 1948
(Speech delivered at the University of Southern California, USA, as a
young student at the age of twenty)
Mohtarma Bhutto
welcomes Commonwealth’s concern over slow democratisation in Pakistan
Islamabad September 22, 2005: Former
Prime Minister and Chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma Benazir
Bhutto has welcomed the proceedings of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action
committee which discussed Pakistan's slow progress to democracy as well as
the uniform issue during its session in New York on 17 September 2005.
In the meeting, the Commonwealth Ministerial Group reviewed developments in
Pakistan since its last meeting in London in February 2005. It received an
update from the Secretary-General on the local bodies' elections which were
observed by a Commonwealth Expert Team (CET) in August 2005.
The Group expressed concern on the slow progress in the democratisation
process. It stressed that there were areas where improvements still needed
to be made to the electoral process and the political environment in
Pakistan. CMAG endorsed the recommendations of the CET for strengthening the
independence of the Election Commission and empowering it to use its
executive powers to enforce its decisions and the code of conduct for
elections.
In a statement today the PPP Chairperson said that she hoped that with the
Group's recommendation to the Secretary-General to intensify ongoing high
level contact with Pakistan, the Commonwealth would be able to play a more
substantive role in helping the people of its member state obtain their
democratic rights.
She noted that following the local elections which were rigged at all
levels, there were sections in Pakistan that were becoming disillusioned
with the possibility of Islamabad ever holding a fair election. Such
disillusionment was leading them to consider approaching other international
organisations to hold elections.
It may be noted that although PPP has not yet decided to approach the United
Nations or the Commonwealth to conduct Pakistani elections, the United
Nations has been conducting elections in certain parts of the world.
During its meeting, CMAG reaffirmed that the holding by the same person of
the offices of the Head of State and Chief of Army Staff is incompatible
with the basic principles of democracy and the spirit of the Harare
Commonwealth principles, as well as CMAG's expectations. It also restated
its strong view that until the two offices are no longer combined in the
same person, the process of democratisation in Pakistan will not be
irreversible. The Group again urged President Musharraf to relinquish one of
his two offices, certainly no later than the end of the current Presidential
term in 2007.
CMAG called on the Government of Pakistan to continue and intensify progress
in fostering a sustainable and inclusive political culture, improving
democratic governance, strengthening political and oversight institutions,
supporting local governments, protecting human rights, respecting media
freedoms and improving the position of women and minorities. It also called
for the further widening of the democratic space so that all who wish can
participate in the electoral process.
CMAG decided to keep Pakistan on its Agenda.
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration
(CMAG) was chaired by the Hon Olu Adeniji, Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Nigeria, and was attended by Hon Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, Prime
Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Samoa, Hon Frederick A
Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Public Service of The Bahamas
(Vice-Chairman), Hon Pierre Pettigrew, Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Canada, Hon K. Natwar Singh, Minister of External Affairs of India, Hon
Michael Frendo, Minster of Foreign Affairs of Malta, Hon Anura Bandaranaike,
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Sri Lanka and Hon Dr Abdul-Kader
Shareef, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
of the United Republic of Tanzania
Our Friends the
Pakistanis
A new book looks at the history of the Afghan jihad.
BY MASOOD FARIVAR
Wednesday, September 14, 2005: It was a
scene straight out of a John le Carré novel, the kind of cloak-and-dagger
rendezvous that CIA spooks can only fantasize about. The time: November
2004. The place: a compound deep inside the Old City of Peshawar, on
Pakistan's rugged northwest frontier. The participants: Karim, a
30-something former Afghan mujahideen fighter; Mohammed Hakim, a slightly
younger, bearded representative of a Taliban splinter group holding three
United Nations workers hostage in Afghanistan; and Kathy Gannon, a
correspondent for Associated Press.
Hakim explained to Ms. Gannon the purpose of the abduction: to "put an end
to the boasting of the Afghan government, the United Nations and the U.S.
administration about the uneventful presidential election" in Afghanistan
that had taken place only a month before, the one that had elected Hamid
Karzai president.
The group, even more militant in its opposition to Mr. Karzai and his
pro-Western government than erstwhile Taliban leader Mullah Omar, was
divided over whether to kill the hostages. Karim claimed to sympathize with
their plight and to understand that the abduction wasn't winning the Taliban
any friends. Still, he said that he had little choice. It was a surreal
meeting in many ways, but what made it especially remarkable to Ms. Gannon
was how relaxed Hakim seemed. A well-known Taliban terrorist, he was
supposedly a wanted man in Pakistan. Why did he seem so nonchalant? Soon
enough the reason became clear.
Karim abruptly ended the conversation and headed out to his waiting car. Ms.
Gannon caught a glimpse of the license plate--it started with the number 83.
From her years of experience she had learned that, in Pakistan, such a
number belongs only to plates that have been issued by the ISI, Pakistan's
military intelligence service. This numeric talisman confirmed what she had
long suspected: that three years after Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's
president, had made an about-face and ditched the Taliban under U.S.
pressure, his military intelligence service was still offering support to
Islamist groups, including a resurgent Taliban.
Well before we come across this anecdote in "I Is for Infidel," we have
grown accustomed to Ms. Gannon's enterprising instincts and, not least, her
eye for the telling detail. Her closely observed chronicle of Afghanistan's
descent into chaos, and its attempts to rebound, is full of vivid incident
and astute analysis. She conveys with particular skill the Afghans' sense of
despair as the world abandoned them and their country slid into anarchy,
only to be taken over by the Taliban and al Qaeda.
For causing this tragedy Ms. Gannon takes everyone to task: the former
anti-Soviet mujahideen for turning their country into a killing field and
for committing unspeakable crimes; the U.N. for ignoring the Taliban's
gruesome rule in the forlorn hope that to do so would promote peace; and the
U.S. for failing to court moderate Taliban members and later for sacrificing
Afghanistan's security for the sake of prosecuting the war in Iraq. But she
saves her sharpest indictment for Pakistan's military and intelligence
service. She argues that it has been in cahoots with terrorist groups for
decades, groups driven by a "jihad ideology" according to which Islam
justifies all kinds of violence.
The military's omnipresence in Pakistani life, Ms. Gannon notes, is in part
a legacy of British rule, under which Hindus dominated the civilian
bureaucracy and Muslims the military. When the British left, a feudal ruling
class arose. Its members included, alongside major landowners, military men
with a strong religious sense of mission and no interest in establishing
democratic institutions. As one Pakistani general tells Ms. Gannon: "Jihad
has always been a motivating concept for our troops from day one." The
concept motivated Pakistan's military all the more forcefully, in the
decades after independence, with each of Pakistan's humiliating defeats at
the hands of India.
Of course, religion is only part of the story. For as long as it has
existed, Pakistan has seen Afghanistan as a source of "strategic depth" in
its conflict with India. To that end it has backed pro-Pakistan groups in
Afghanistan, groups that are often pro-Islamist. Whether Pakistan has been
led by the secular Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the 1970s or by the fundamentalist
Zia ul-Haq in the 1980s or by the pro-Western Gen. Musharraf in recent
years, the policy has remained the same.
But it took a toxic turn with the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which
allowed the Pakistani military to turn what started off as a national war of
liberation into a holy war that it would serve in whatever way it could. The
Taliban, founded as a populist movement to end Afghanistan's anarchy
following the Soviets' withdrawal, became a pawn in this game. The ISI, with
generous U.S. funding, played a crucial role throughout: It decided which of
its favorite Afghan Islamist groups was to receive weapons, and it created a
curriculum to teach a generation of Afghan refugee boys that "I is for
infidel" and "J is for jihad."
"In hindsight," writes Ms. Gannon, "it was a mistake [for the West] to
support Zia and his Islamic fervor, which gave rise to extremist militants."
It was also a mistake to support Gen. Musharraf, whose military "is
strangling Pakistan's civil society and protecting the religious right." So
compelling is Ms. Gannon's case that by the end of the book, when she
asserts almost in passing that Osama bin Laden may well be under the
protection of the Pakistani military, it is easy to believe her.
It is all a cautionary tale about alliances of convenience. But will anyone
listen? "Afghanistan's tragedy," Ms. Gannon observes in her epilogue, "is
that to the world's powers, it has never really mattered--or mattered for
long."
Mr. Farivar is a reporter for Dow Jones Newswires. You can buy "I Is for
Infidel" from the OpinionJournal bookstore.
PPP rebuts
official spokesman’s statement
Islamabad September 21, 2005: Reacting
to the official spokesman’s statement tonight on the proceedings before the
Investigation Magistrate in Geneva on Monday in the SGS case a spokesman of
the Party has issued the following statement.
"The crux of Mohtarma Bhutto’s deposition before the Investigation
Magistrate is that she denied that the companies or accounts of those
companies were her. She also denied having purchased the jewelry.
"Mohtarma Bhutto also stated that the pre-shipment inspection contract was
awarded in a transparent manner. The contract stood on its own merit as was
evident from the report of the auditors, she had said.
"This is the position taken by Mohtaram Bhutto and this is what she has been
saying all along since 1997 when the allegations were first leveled and a
case against her instituted in Pakistan.
"The regime should address these issues raised by Mohtarma instead of
confusing the people by giving a one sided version of what transpired before
the Investigation Magistrate in Geneva.
"The trial court in Pakistan convicted her but the Supreme Court not only
overturned the conviction but also observed ‘bias of the trial court floated
on the surface of the record’, that resulted in the resignation of two
judges from the Bench. The Supreme Court’s ruling came after tapes of
conversation between the trial judge and the NAB prosecutors came to surface
revealing how justice had been perjured.
"The regime is giving a spin to what transpired before a foreign
Investigation Magistrate only to confuse and confound the people".
Mohtarma Bhutto
appears before Geneva magistrate Denies charges says case is politically
motivated Meets press, lashes at military dictatorship
Islamabad September 19, 2005: Mohtarma
Benazir Bhutto today appeared before Swiss Investigation Magistrate in
Geneva and recorded her statement in the SGS case.
She was assisted by a Swiss defence lawyer. Defence counsel Farooq Naek and
Political Secretary Naheed Khan have also accompanied her to Geneva.
Mohtarma Bhutto informed the Investigation Magistrate that she neither owned
the Swiss companies allegedly involved in money laundering nor had purchased
the jewellery. She said that the pre-shipment inspection contract was
awarded to SGS in a transparent and open manner and there was no underhand
dealing involved in the award of contract.
The Investigation magistrate later adjourned the case that will be taken up
again after four to six weeks.
Later addressing a press conference in Geneva Mohtarma Bhutto said that the
cases against her were politically motivated. She said that she was fighting
military dictatorship in the country which was hell bent upon eliminating
her.
Mohtarma Bhutto said that the military dictatorship was against the women as
was manifested by the callous remarks of General Musharraf in Washington
saying that the women in Pakistan got themselves raped to make money or get
foreign visas.
She said she would fight to the last and not succumb to the military
dictators.
PPP USA holds
demonstration against General Musharraf
Islamabad, 19 September 2005: Pakistan
People Party USA held a huge protest demonstration in New York against
Pakistani military dictator General Musharraf on Saturday, the 17th
September.
The demonstration was attended by all the office bearers of the party and
members of Asian American Network. The demonstrators held Pakistani and
Party flags, placards and Banners demanding General Musharraf to leave
presidency, restoration of democracy, withdrawal of all false cases against
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, Senator Asif Ali Zardari and other PPP leaders.
The PPP, USA passed several resolutions demanding General Musharraf’s
resignation, end of military intervention in country’s politics, withdrawal
of false and concocted cases against PPP leadership, and the military to
return to barracks.
A large number of PPP workers attended the protest against General
Musharraf, organized by ANAA, a women group against violence on women. The
demonstration was held in front of Roosevelt Hotel, where General Musharraf
stayed during his US visit.
Mohtarma Bhutto
asks Musharraf to tender apology to the nation
Islamabad September 18, 2005: Former
Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma
Benazir Bhutto has asked General Pervez Musharraf to tender unqualified
apology to the people particularly the women of Pakistan for his most
insensitive and callous remarks about the country’s mothers and sisters in
Washington the other day.
General Pervez Musharraf's remarks has brought immense shame and anguish and
degraded the mothers, sisters and daughters, indeed the whole nation, she
said in a statement today.
In an interview with the Washington Post the General explaining the ever
rising incidents of rape in the country is quoted to have said: "This has
become a moneymaking concern. A lot of people say if you want to go abroad
and get a visa for Canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself
raped."
Mohtarma Bhutto said that General Musharraf’s remarks only proved his low
esteem of the women in Pakistan and showed that his claims of enlightened
moderation and women emancipation were no more than a ruse to hoodwink the
international opinion and a fraud. It must awaken the world to the stark
reality of the plight of women in Pakistan who have to fight male prejudices
from the lowest to the head of state, she said.
She complimented the Amnesty International for publicly denouncing General’s
remarks about women. The AI in a public statement called the remarks
"callous and insulting" and demanded "a public apology from Musharraf to the
women of Pakistan and especially to victims of rape, sexual assault, and
other forms of violence that are rampant with impunity in Pakistan". The
amnesty described the statement is an "offense to women all over the world".
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin also said that he raised the matter with
Musharraf saying, " I stated unequivocally that comments such as that are
not acceptable and that violence against women is a blight that besmirches
all humanity".
Mukhtaran Mai, a gang rape victim in Pakistan fighting for justice, has said
that Musharraf can take away all the riches she made from the gang rape, but
give her justice.
She said that no woman could subject her to such a horrible experience to
make some bucks.
The former Prime Minster said that the laws in the country were already
skewed against women. The hudood ordinance required a raped woman to produce
four adult Muslim male witnesses as proof of rape or be prepared to be tried
for ‘qazf’ (false accusations), she said.
She said that after General Musharraf’s callus remarks the fight for justice
for women will become even more difficult. Now if a woman cried against
dreadful crime she will also be accused of making money or seeking foreign
visa because the country’s referendum elect President has decreed so, she
said.
Mohtarma Bhutto said that General Musharraf must tender unqualified apology
and not make it an issue of ego. Before he returns to the country from
foreign tour he must tender this apology, she said.
She also asked the human rights activist, the legal fraternity, women action
groups and international community to raise voice and force Musharraf to
tender apology.
September 12th
sitting of Senate Finance Committee illegal
—Senator Akbar Khawaja
Islamabad, 17 September 2005: Senator
Dr. Akbar Khawaja has denounced the sitting of Senate Standing Committee on
Finance and Economic Affairs held on September 12, 2005 against the rules
due to a missing quorum. Only two member of the Committee were present on
Monday sitting. According to the Rule 155 (of the Rules of Procedure and
Conduct of Business in the Senate), "The quorum to constitute a sitting of a
Committee shall be three".
The Committee discussed price hike and stock market issues, including
necessary steps to be taken to stabilize prices and control inflation.
Senator Khawaja who is also member of the Standing Committee on Finance has
criticized that government is not following the rules. Senator Akbar Khawaja
observed that any decision taken in the committee meeting of 12th September
will be null and void. Senator Khawaja demanded to hold another meeting to
rediscuss the Agenda items.
"Committee system that became operational after almost 18 months is not
working properly due to poor parliamentary governance", he added. Against
the Senate traditions, Chairs of all Committee have been given to the
members of the treasury benches. There has been not even a single meeting of
some of the Committees. Senator Khawaja further pointed out that many
members belonging to the opposition have been limited only to 2 committees
while members of treasury benches have been included in five standing
committees.
PPP condemns
Altaf’s birthday celebrations as extravagance at public expense
Demands that public funds spent be returned to exchequer
Islamabad September 17, 2005: Raja
Pervez Ashraf Secretary General of the Pakistan Peoples Party
Parliamentarians has denounced the birthday celebrations of MQM chief Altaf
Hussain as ‘a callous demonstration of personal ego at public expense’.
Full page and half page coloured ads adored newspapers today to celebrate
MQM chief Altaf Hussain’s 52nd birthday. Tens of millions of rupees spent on
the special ads and supplements were paid for by the provincial government
of Sindh or those federal ministries headed by ministers belonging the MQM.
In a statement today Raja Pervez Ashraf said that poverty stricken and
hungry people in the country were committing suicides and people in Karachi
were dying due to contaminated water. "For the MQM chief to celebrate his
birthday with such extravagance at public expense ignoring the plight of the
common man was most insensitive and inhuman".
"Never before arrogance has so blatantly rubbished people’s miseries and
never before salt has been rubbed into the wounds of people. The agony is
that even the salt was purchased with the money earned with their sweat,
blood and tears".
Raja Pervez Ashraf said that Altaf Hussain stands exposed and condemned at
the bar of public opinion and he owes an apology to the people.
He said that if Altaf Hussain was conscious of people’s miseries and felt
for them he would have spent these millions on public weal instead of on
holding extravaganza for the satisfaction of personal ego.
He asked Altaf Hussain and the MQM to return the public monies spent on ads
to the exchequer for spending on the welfare of the people.
Raja Pervez Asjarf also asked the MQM chief to apologise to the nation for
this insensitivity and callous disregard to the masses groaning under
poverty and misery.
PPP condemns
General Musharraf’s gibberish about Pakistani women
Islamabad, 15 September 2005: Sherry
Rehman, member national assembly and president of Policy Planning for the
Pakistan Peoples Party has condemned the disparaging language that General
Musharraf used about women in Pakistan in his interview to a New York
newspaper a few days ago. In a statement released from Islamabad, Rehman
said that it was shocking to read that General Musharraf had publicly aired
his low opinion of women, who he claimed "are willing to get themselves
raped to get visas for Canada or any other foreign country."
All Pakistanis must have lowered their heads in shame to be represented by
such views at the United Nations forum, she said, adding that the PPP and
all progressive people across the country want to distance themselves from
such a view. Women are victims of the worst kind of violence in many
countries, but in Pakistan it is horrifying for a military general to be
voicing this kind of spontaneous sentiment.
Instead of enacting laws to protect women, all this government has done is
hold expensive international conferences at which it tries to impress upon
donors its commitment to empowering women, Rehman said.
Even in the National Assembly, said the PPP MNA, which has become a farce in
the face of government attempts to strangulate the oppositions' voice, women
who move adjournment motions to discuss ghastly accounts of gang-rapes by
police officials, or to obtain some justice for the
victims, such as the recent case of Abida Yusuf in Rawalpindi, or
Sonia Naz, who still cannot get an FIR registered against her assailants,
are not allowed to do so. Why was Mukhtraran Mai not allowed to leave the
country initially to attend a human rights conference? What was Dr Shazia's
crime that she could not get justice at home, or that she had to flee the
country to find some day-to-peace? It is attitudes like the one Musharraf
betrayed in New York that drives victims away from the countries that should
protect and nurture them, Rehman said.
My own adjournment motions on this subject, co-signed by women from the
treasury benches, have been turned down recently for no apparent reason,
while five bills presented b the PPP and myself find no lobby within
government quarters except from a handful of people, she added.
It is a blot on the face of all women, especially women ministers who remain
in this bloated cabinet of military surrogates, that they sit around
accepting such an anti-women statement from the head of their regime.
The PPP soundly condemns such sentiments that cast women victims as
NGO-driven manipulators, and sympathises with all women who raise their
voice aginst such tyranny and injustice, Rehman said. We are not a nation
who will only show solidarity with women once they have killed themselves in
shame after they were raped or abused. We are proud to be Pakistanis who
support the vulnerable and the oppressed, and condemn all those who object
to women raising their voices at home or abroad.
Wake up General
This refers to
the news item on Sep 14, 2005 in daily Dawn "Bush never objected to uniform
quoting General Musharaf, when asked about Mai Mukhtaran case and the
injustice dealt to her the General very cold heartedly replied “A lot
of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for Canada or
citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped". Such comments
coming from the unconstitutional president of Pakistan in the middle of the
highly important visit to USA deals a severe blow to any kind of justice and
harshly violates human rights when it is glaringly apparent that the General
has directly accused the poor victim of stooping to low heights just to get
a visa for the western countries.
We know that how
our women have to engage in a double struggle against undemocratic forces
and their atrocities and against oppression by men. Look at General’s govt,
most of his ministers still see a woman’s role basically as that of a
housewife within a conservative family structure. They consider themselves
to be lords and masters of women.
Gen. Musharraf has failed to repeal blatant discriminatory and derogatory
laws like the Hudood Ordinaces, Qanoon-e-Shahadat and Qisas and Diyat
provisions incorporated in the Pakistan penal code. By giving such
statements Pervez Musharrraf has breached all international treaties,
conventions and declarations relating to women rights, to which Pakistan is
a party.
May I ask the General can any woman openly publicize to have been raped just
to go abroad. Are we living in the medieval ages where people would sell
themselves? Sorry to say but it is about time the General started taking
notice of the nation and the spirit of the people he has illegally taken
hold of. we are not a nation who would sell every thing including our
conscience to gain material things. Wake up General.
Ms. Sassui Palijo
PPPP MPA
Sindh
Mohtarma Bhutto
Rebuts General Musharraf’s Allegations against her
Islamabad, 12 September 2005: Commenting
on the statement by Military dictator General Musharraf that she could not
become Prime Minister again, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto said that that decision
lay not in the hands of General Musharraf but in the hands of the people of
Pakistan.
The former Prime Minister noted that she was elected for two tenures by the
people of Pakistan but the peoples will was thwarted through destabilisation
of democracy. Nonetheless the PPP gave the highest employment rates to
Pakistan, put an end to load shedding, alleviated poverty and spread
education and health while bringing down the population growth rates as well
as the infant mortality rates. General Musharraf on the other hand, had
governed longer than her or Mr. Nawaz Sharif without a mandate. She said
that if tenure was the yardstick by which the military dictator wished to
judge the ability of an individual to govern a country, then Mr. Musharraf
would be on the wrong side of the yardstick.
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto hoped that by acknowledging the importance of the
PPP, General Musharraf would review the policies which had led to the
subordination of the state apparatus to the PML Q and to the denial of level
playing field or constitutional rights to the people of Pakistan. However,
she did not see this given the rigging in the local elections and the sudden
calibration of handpicked accountability courts to cancel the bail of Mr.
Zardari despite his medical rights guaranteed by international and national
laws.
She said that given General Musharraf had praised the PPP she found it
strange that he chose to make a dig at the politically motivated cases that
had been lodged against her by his regime.
The General, it may be noted, had said that she and her husband should
attend the case in Switzerland and "let the world know where she stands".
She said that she and her husband had been facing the politically motivated
cases in Switzerland--and elsewhere--, where Musharraf, through the state
apparatus, had hired lawyers, made false allegations and claimed to be an
injured party. She said that in other words, the case was Musharraf led and
Musharraf motivated with a view to eliminate her from politics. However,
Mohtarma said she believed that justice ultimately triumphed and was facing
the false charges, along with her husband, with determination. Mohtarma said
that if she agreed to quit politics and not return to Pakistan for General
Elections, the cases would be dropped against her and her husband. However,
she chose to reject such offers believing that the cause of democracy was
more important than her.
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto said that the General should not point fingers at
her. After all, she was facing the cases against her, which were politically
motivated with courage that could not be said for others.
PPP files petition against Vice Chief of Army Staff for corruption
Islamabad, 11 September 2005: Pakistan
People Party has filed a petition against General Tariq Majid, the Chief of
General Staff and General Ahsan Saleem Hayat, the Vice Chief of Army Staff
for causing huge financial loss to the national exchequer by corruption and
corrupt practices and demanded action against them under section 10 of
National Accountability Bureau Ordinance.
Amir Fida Paracha, member provincial assembly and advocate High Court on
behalf of the PPP has filed the petition with the Chairman NAB on 7th
September 2005. The petition says that a report in the media says, "A quick
fire restricted tender No 1338/49 / TI Sight /DGDP/PC dated 17 June 2005 was
floated by the Director General of Defence. Such large purchase seeking to
buy 900 Thermal Image Sight (TIS) Fire Control System Units for the main
Pakistan battle Tanks - Al Khalid & Al Zarar, T-85 & T-80 U, and 21 June
2005 as the last date to submit the tender was (only four days) given for
submission of bids."
The petition says, "This was ostensibly done because the Weapons and
Equipment Directorate (W&ED) of the Army GHQ had already pre-qualified and
short listed two French companies through a long process of test, trial &
final technical evaluation by the ITD Directorate and I & E Directorate in
the 1st week of June, both the companies were practically ready to bid and
these companies were Sagem & Thales. The test & trial had included draft
contract, proposal including commercial and technical offers, which the W &
ED sought on May 24 and 26, 2005 from these two companies, both gave their
offers and both were Pre-Qualified / short listed by the GHQ. The first
technical offers were opened and evaluated by the technical departments, I&E
& ITD Directorates of GHQ and after two hours both were declared technically
qualified with 4 technical observations made on Sagem, offers and 35
technical observations on Thales bid. The most significant difference in the
two offers was that Sagem bid for the Generation -3 (G3) TIS Units while
Thales offered the older Generation -2 (G-2). The tender had asked for both
types although G-2 is almost obsolete. Why G-2 units were put on the tender
is a big mystery because Pakistan Army has already been using the G-3 which
is mounted on Al -Khalid tanks. Thales was not qualified supplier until
early 2004, General Tariq Majeed promoted the Vice Chief of General Staff by
General Musharaf and he ordered that Thales also be included in trials and
was later on qualified."
It further says, "On June 23, 2005 Lt, General Tariq Majeed took the
decision with the connivance of the Vice Chief of Army Staff General Ahsan
Saleem Hayat ,ruling out all objections after harassing , threatening and
severe pressure on the following who matters. Maj General Saeedullah Khan DG
Armoured Corps, Maj General Ijaz Bukhari DG weapons & Equipment with his
assistant Brig Sawar Shah, Maj General Yousaf the incharge Military
Operation Directorate and his technical director Brig Khalid Asgher was so
terrorized that he was almost crying and saving their service and pension,
to award the contract to Thales, the high bidder, for it's inferior G-2
equipment. The Final signing ceremony had been decided to be held on 30th
June at 22 hours or 10 PM at the GHQ with Thales company. The whole day
documents were being prepared for the final award. But at 9.53 pm the
telephone rang up and the C-IN-C was on line and ordered to ink the contract
to call off the deal and within a few minutes the said entire room was empty
and $ 37 million of Pakistan Army was saved. It was due to leakage of the
said deal and published in the press. The next day the said company Thales
was declared defaulting company by the DG of Defense Production because it
had not fulfilled its contractual obligations on the submarine deals. The
question arises how and why a defaulting company was included in bidding,
why its higher bid with inferior technology had been accepted and which
senior officers were involved in the scam in pre-qualifying for the contract
and C-IN-C had to interfere and ordered to call off the contract after
reading in the Press. Why the Ministry of Defense had been kept totally out
of the loop in the deal. All the files were kept under control of the GS
Branch headed by General Tariq Majeed. But there were other Generals heading
other Directorates involved, who had to agree."
The petition prays, "The above facts and grounds respondents have shown
willful indulgence in corrupt practices under Section 9 of the NAB
Ordinance. Such persons are subject to punishment under Section 10 of the
Ordinance 1999. The Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau is called
upon to initiate investigation in connection with matters set out herein
above and further proceed to file a reference against respondent for
violating the provisions of Section 9 of the NAB Ordinance 1999 punishable
under Section 10 of the Ordinance in competent court of law and proceed
against those concerned for violating Section 9 of the NAB Ordinance."
PPP apprises SG Commonwealth
of injustice meted out to Senator Zardari
Islamabad, 11 September 2005:
Pakistan Peoples Party has apprised the secretary General Commonwealth
Donald McKinnon of the political vendetta against Senator Asif Ali Zardari
by the military regime of General Musharraf.
Senator Rukhsana Zuberi, member Foreign Liaison Committee, Pakistan Peoples
Party in a letter addressed to Don McKinnon wrote, that Asif Ali Zardari was
released by Supreme Court last November after eight years in prison without
a conviction. "Due to the inhuman treatment where Mr. Zardari was confined
in a small room and not allowed to exercise for a long period of his
incarceration and due to the stress from attacks on his reputation and
threats to his liberty and life, Mr. Zardari suffered a heart attack in June
2005. He had to undergo emergency angioplasty. His entire major artery, the
LADD, was blocked and it was a miracle he survived with God's Grace. Two
stents were put into his major artery and ballooning was also done."
She further wrote, ". However, the Islamabad regime did not let him rest as
per the doctors advice for three months. They harassed him through
activation of a series of judicial measures and tried to cancel his bail.
The result was that Mr. Zardari once again had to undergo emergency
angioplasty in Mount Sinai hospital in New York on August 31, 2005. The
doctors found that eighty percent of a part of his artery was once again
blocked and the artery was pinched in two places. A third stent was put in"
and "Now that Mr. Zardari has undergone a second angioplasty, the regime is
once again active trying to stress him out with litigation knowing that a
heart patient is not to be stressed. We would go so far as to say that the
regime is trying to aggravate Mr. Zardari's medical situation".
Giving the background of the case against Senator Asif Ali Zardari, she
rote, "The latest harassment is with regard to what is known as the BMW
Case. This involves disputed duty on a second hand BMW car. The regime
claims that the car belongs to Mr. Zardari although it is not in his name
and was not recovered from his possession. The regime claims that some part
of duty was unpaid--after having reassessed the duty themselves post facto
and increased it. In cases of duty dispute, the car is impounded until the
extra duty due is paid. No one is arrested, let alone the person who is not
the legal owner of the car. In any event, if any duty was due, it was due
from the first owner of the car and not the second. The entire case is
frivolous and raises more questions than it answers about concoction of
criminal proceedings by Islamabad for political purposes. Mr. Zardari was
granted bail on November 22, 2004 in the BMW Case by the Supreme Court of
Pakistan and permitted him to proceed abroad by the regime on 29 December
2004, following a petition he filed before the Sindh High Court to go
abroad."
She further wrote, "On July 9, 2005, the Court dispensed with the personal
appearance of Mr. Zardari permanently, so that the proceedings could
continue without his personal appearance and with the assistance of his
defence counsel. However on July 25, 2005 the exemption was withdrawn and
defence filed an application on the same day for review of order dated
25-7-2005 which is still pending. On August 1, 2005, the Court ordered for
issuance of non bail-able warrant of arrest against Mr Zardari and notice to
the person standing surety (bail bond). The Court shortly thereafter broke
for vacation. When it returned from vacation, an application was filed by
Mr. Zardari's lawyers for recall of the order doing away with personal
appearance. This was on August 20, 2005" and "On September 5, 2005,
Parliamentarian Raja Parvez Ashraf, who stood surety for Mr. Zardari,
alongwith his counsel Mr Nayar Bokhari appeared before the Court. Once again
Mr. Zardari's lawyers moved for exemption from personal appearance on
medical grounds and withdrawal of warrant of arrest to ensure personal
appearance, as well as to facilitate the Court proceeding with the BMW Case.
The Court was informed that Mr. Zardari would be available for personal
appearance as soon as his medical condition improved and he recovered from
his illness. Shockingly, the handpicked Accountability Court showed complete
bias in refusing to deal with the application by Mr. Zardari's defence for
exemption from personal appearance. Instead, it ordered forfeiture of the
bail bond and began proceedings under Section 87 Code of Criminal Procedure
for declaration of Mr. Zardari as an absconder."
Senator Rukhsana Zuberi wrote, "There is a concern that the Court is acting
at the behest of the regime which is anxious to prevent the recovery of Mr.
Zardari and may exploit the order internationally with malicious purpose."
"We believe that the dignity and right of life to Mr. Zardari and his
fundamental rights granted to him by the Constitution of Pakistan are being
trampled and violated. The PPP hopes that you will look into this matter and
raise your voice to ensure that justice is done", she concluded.
Mohtarma
Bhutto denounces non-registration of FIR
Islamabad September 10, 2005: Former
Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma
Benazir Bhutto has condemned the non-registration of FIR on firing and
assault on Mian Fakhar of Awam Dost group during the recent local polls in
Gujrat.
On August 25 during local bodies’ polls in Gujrat Mian Fakhr the goons of
King’s Party attacked the awam dost candidate Mian Fakhr while he was
campaigning.
Mian Fakhar, the son of PPP leader Mian Mushataq Pagganwala escaped the
murderous assault but was wounded. As a result of the attack his right arm
was fractured.
The victim tried to register case against the assailants, which he said were
backed by Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain MNA and the brother of Chaudhy Shujaat
Hussain. The police however refused to register the case till date. Mian
Fakhar is now seeking recourse to the judiciary to get the FIR registered.
In a statement today Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto said condemned the high
handedness and demanded immediate registration of the case against the
assailants. She also asked the administration and police officials not to
become partisan in the political contest and discharge their duties in
accordance with the law of the land.
Mohtarma Bhutto also called upon the Election Commission and the government
to take note of such brazen lawlessness and immediately remedy the
situation. She said that massive rigging and manipulation in the polls and
refusing to address the complaints filed by candidates had eroded the
credibility of election exercise.
She said it would be very bad for the country if the regime’s apathy forced
people to demand elections under UN supervision. She also urged the human
rights bodies to raise voice against the injustice to Mian Fakhar by the
administration by not registering the FIR against his assailants.
PPP denounces horse trading by
the regime
Reference being filed with Speaker against defection
Islamabad September 10, 2005:
Pakistan Peoples Party has condemned the horse trading resorted to by
the dictators through the King’s Party to break mainstream political parties
and foist one man and one Party rule in the country.
Mumtaz Matyana PPP MNA from Bahawalnagr has switched sides and joined the
King’s Party under pressure and inducements from the King’s Party.
Media reports said that Matyana has been offered the slot of district nazim
of Bahawalnagar.
In a statement today the Secretary General of the PPPP and deputy leader of
the Parliamentary Party in the National Assembly Raja Pervez Ashraf MNA said
that the Party had taken serious note of the switching of loyalty by its MNA
and would file a reference against him with the Speaker National Assembly
for unseating him from Parliament.
The PPP leader said that the Party would not spare defectors and turncoats
and take action against them under the law to unseat them. He said that a
reference against MPA Pir Zahoor Hussain Qureshi who recently defected to
the King’s party would also be filed on Monday with the Speaker Punjab
Assembly.
He said that it was most unfortunate that Mumtaz Matyana MNA could not
withstand the temptation of becoming a district nazim and sold his
conscience for a petty consideration. Mumtaz had changed sides and has to be
disqualified, Raja Pervez said.
Raja Pervez Ashraf also denounced the rulers for breaking the mainstream
parties with a view to perpetuate a one man and one Party dictatorship in
the country. He said that the regime was obsessed with foisting one Party
dictatorship and that was why it resorted to fixing elections, forced MPs to
change loyalties, promulgated ordinances with back dated effect manipulation
and chased and hounded political opponents.
The PPP he said would foil all attempts at foisting one Party rule in the
country and continue to expose the dictatorship. Raja Pervez Ashraf said
that the rulers had feet of clay and that was the reason it sought to lean
on straws and turncoats of all kind.
Asif Zardari’s non-bailable
warrants perversion of judicial process
NAB and regime were following deliberate policy to cause stress
Islamabad, September 10, 2005: The
issuance of non bail able warrants of Senator Asif Ali Zardari in the SGS
case by the Accountability Court Rawalpindi is a worst example of perversion
of judicial processes by the rulers.
This has been stated by Syed Khursheed Ahmad Shah MNA and former federal
minister in a statement today.
The Accountability Court today issued non bailable arrest warrants of
Senator Asif Ali Zardari for allegedly not appearing before it in the SGS
case.
Syed Khurshid Shah said that Senator Asif Ali Zardari was represented today
by his counsel who informed the court that his client had undergone another
medical operation and a third stint has been inserted. This medical
operation took place in New York, United States. Doctors have advised
Senator Asif Ali Zardari complete bed rest for three months.
He said that medical certificates in this regard were shown to the court but
the court did not accept them without any reason. He said that the NAB was
hell bent upon perverting the judicial process for political ends.
He said that personal appearance of Asif Zardari was not necessary for the
case to proceed. Mr Asif Zardari had been given exemption from personal
appearance and his defence counsels were present in the court on his behalf,
he said.
Syed Khurshid Shah said that it was very strange that the court insisted on
personal appearance even as Senator Zardari was sick and had two angiograms
supported by medical certificates from the doctors treating him. He said
that most cases are adjourned in such circumstances and the case could
proceed even in the absence of Asif Zardari as his lawyers were present.
The PPP leader said that it appeared that the NAB and rulers had adopted a
deliberate policy to cause stress to Asif Zardari who as a heart patient
recovering form angioplasty needs rest to prevent further complications.
People would make Mohtarma
Benazir Bhutto Prime Minister the third time by their votes
Naheed Khan
Islamabad, 10 September 2005:
Naheed Khan, member national assembly and the political secretary to
the chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has said
that the people of Pakistan would vote in Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Prime
Minister the third time and General Musharraf would neither be the military
chief nor he would be president of Pakistan.
Reacting to General Musharraf’s assertion in an interview that Mohtarma
Benazir Bhutto cannot become the prime Minister again, Naheed Khan said that
General Musharraf himself has no future and soon he will have to surrender
the position of army chief and presidency. General Musharraf has no
authority over the peoples’ will and the people of Pakistan have reposed
confidence on the leadership of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto several times and
people would make her the Prime Minister the third time, Naheed Khan said.
Naheed Khan said that other dictators also tried to stop Mohtarma Benazir
Bhutto from coming to power but the people of Pakistan always defeated these
conspiracies and they will once again defeat General Musharraf’s conspiracy
who is presenting an enlightened and liberal face to the West but
victimising the liberal forces in Pakistan. The extremist forces in the
Pakistani Establishment are conspiring against Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and
people of Pakistan but the people have always defeated these extremists.
People will once again overcome the conspiracy of General Musharraf and
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto will be voted in as Prime Minister the third time,
Naheed Khan said.
PPP
demands removal of DRO Gujrat
Islamabad September 9, 2005:
The DRO Gujrat must be replaced before the election process for phase
three of District and Tehsil Nazims are held as free, fair and impartial
elections are not possible in his presence.
The demand has been made by Barrister Nawabzada Ghazanfar Gul former MNA of
PPP in a statement today saying that in view of the partial and unfair
conduct during the phase two of elections people had lost all confidence in
him.
He said that the DRO had became a party and played to the tune of the ruling
group. His disposal of the appeals against acceptance/rejection of the
nomination papers was not strictly according the election laws and rules.
His actions and conduct even embarrassed the Returning Officers working
under him. He brought the independent role of the judiciary to disrepute to
please the ruling party, he said.
He said that the candidates for Nazims, Naib Nazims and councillors from
opposition were being kidnapped by the police by registering bogus cases to
force them to withdraw from the elections. The DRO did nothing knowing all
what was happening in the District.
Withdrawals were accepted in violation of eh the Rule 16 (1) of the Punjab
Local Bodies Election Rules, 2005, by which only Nazim or Naib Nazim cannot
withdraw from the election on his own without the consent of the other. He
did not entertain any complaints about the intimidation and harassment
through the use of the State Machinery. He refused to see the complainants
even when he was present in his office, he said.
The DRO did every thing possible to make the election one sided in favour of
the ruling group. We brought the state of affairs into the notice of the CEC
and written to him again to remove the DRO to ensure free, fair and
impartial elections in phase 3.
He said that the CEC had also been urged to remove the following police
officers from active duty, who were involved in influencing the candidates
to withdraw by registering bogus cases and kept them in unlawful custody:-
DPO Gujrat, DSP Kharian, SHOs Jalapur Jattan Saddar and City police
stations, SHO Saddar Gujrat, SHO Civil Lines Gujrat, SHO Kharian Saddar, SHO
Karrianwala, Incharge Police Posts, Daulatnagar, Rehmanian and Lari Adda
Gujrat.
Ghazanfar Gul urge upon the Chief Election Commissioner to take a direct
action himself forthwith as the Punjab Government will do noting because
whatever is being done in Gujrat is being done by the Chief Minister’s and
Ch. Shujaat’s group leaders.
Press
Release By PPP leaders On Bias of Gujrat Election Official
DRO Gujrat must be replaced before the election process for phase three,
elections for District and Tehsil Nazims and special interest seats, begins.
Free, fair and impartial elections are not possible in his presence in view
of his partial and unfair conduct during phase two process.
The conduct of the District Returning Officer, Gujart, during phase two
election process was not by any standards impartial or fair. He became a
party and played to the tune of the ruling group. His disposal of the
appeals against acceptance/rejection of the nomination papers was not
strictly according the election laws and rules. His actions and conduct even
embarrassed the Returning Officers working under him. He brought the
independent role of the judiciary to disrepute to please the ruling party.
Candidates for Nazims, Naib Nazims and councilors from opposition were being
lifted by the police by registering bogus cases to force them to withdraw
from the elections. The DRO did nothing knowing all what was happening in
the District. He was not available after the hearing of appeals on
03-08-2005. Withdrawals were accepted in violation of eh the Rule 16 (1) of
the Punjab Local Bodies Election Rules, 2005, by which only Nazim or Naib
Nazim cannot withdraw from the election on his own with the consent of the
other. He did not entertain any complaints about the intimidation and
harassment through the use of the State Machinery. He refused to see us even
when he was present in his office.
The DRO did every thing possible to make the election one sided in favour of
the ruling group. We brought the state of affairs into the notice of the CEC.
We have written to the CEC again to remove the DRO to ensure free, fair and
impartial elections in phase 3.
We have also written to the CEC to remove the following police officers from
active duty, who were involved in influencing the candidates to withdraw by
registering bogus cases and kept them in unlawful custody:-
DPO Gujrat, DSP Kharian, SHOs Jalapur Jattan Saddar and City police
stations, SHO Saddar Gujrat, SHO Civil Lines Gujrat, SHO Kharian Saddar, SHO
Karrianwala, Incharge Police Posts, Daulatnagar, Rehmanian and Lari Adda
Gujrat.
We urge upon the Chief Election Commissioner to take a direct action himself
forthwith as the Punjab Government will do noting because whatever is being
done in Gujrat is being done by the Chief Minister’s and Ch. Shujaat’s group
leaders.
Nawabzada Ghazanfar Ali Gul
Barrister, Ex. MNA
Kothi Nawab Sahib, Gujrat.
09-09-2005
Victimization
of PPP continues in Sindh
—Nazir Dhoki
Islamabad, 5 September 2005: The Media
Coordinator of PPP Monitoring Committee for local bodies elections, Nazir
Dhoki has strongly condemned the continued victimisation of PPP leaders,
workers, Awam Dost Nazims and Councillors and asked the Chief Justice and
the Human Rights Bodies to take notice of these excesses meted out to
democratic forces by the government and the ruling party.
In a statement Nazir Dhoki said that the arrests and torture which began
during the election campaign is continued and the Chief Minister Sindh is
carrying out murders of PPP leaders and workers, initiating false cases
against them and creating an atmosphere of fear and harassment. He said that
the Shirazi group murdered a PPP worker Muhammad Qasim Sammon and afterwards
stoned to death another PPP worker Muhammad Jumman Mallah. Police has not
yet registered a murder case. Sassi Palejo MPA was threatened when she tried
to get the murder case registered. She was attacked and cases have been
initiated against her and six of her relatives.
Nazir Dhoki said that police arrested former MPA Dr. Abdul Wahid Soomro
alongwith six associates and tried to murder him during detention. Police
tortured a candidate of Naib Nazim in Thatta and kidnapped a journalist
Roshan Memon for supporting Awam Dost Candidate. Police in Hyderabad has
arrested a PPP Office bearer Jiando Soomro who got injured because of police
torture. The MQM has threatened Jiando Soomro and asked him to ditch the
PPP. Dadu police has arrested Abdul Khaliq Soomro on the behest of federal
minister Liaquat Jatoi.
Nazir Dhoki further said that on the instructions of the Chief Minister
Sindh, Nawabshah police has sealed the transport Adda of member Sindh
assembly Chaudhry Tariq Masood and he has been receiving threats to join
ruling party. Shikarpur police on the behest of federal minister Ghaus Bux
Mahar has arrested the brother of Awam Dost Councillor Ghula Rasool who is
being pressurised to change his loyalty. In Khairpur on the behest of
provincial minister Sadaruddin Shah Rashdi, the former Tehsil Nazim Rais Ali
Gul Bozdar was arrested and was released only when the people came out on
the streets in protest. His close relatives are still detained.
Nazir Dhoki said that police raided Lund Bazar in Ghotki and attacked the
shopkeepers who supported Awam Dost Candidates in elections. An attempt was
made in Khairpur to kidnapped PPP leader Javed Imrani. He said that all
these incidents expose the hollowness of the claim of the good governance by
General Musharraf.
"Time
to wake up
ROEDAD KHAN
I was born in slavery. On August 14, 1947, I was a free man,
proud citizen of a free, independent, and sovereign country which I could
call my own, a country I could live for and die for. I was young - 24 to be
precise - full of joie de vive, idealism, hope and ambition. For me and,
like me, for all those who belonged to my generation, Pakistan symbolized
all our hopes, wishes and expectations. It was like a dream come true, and
carried with it a sense of pride, of excitement and of jubilation. All this
turned into dust in October 1958, when Ayub Khan plunged the army into
politics and stabbed our fledgling democracy in the back. He set a bad
precedent. Others merely followed his example.
47 years after the first military coup, we are back to square one. The
country is under military rule for the fourth time and is going down the
tubes. The euphoria following the dismissal of Nawaz Sharif’s government
soon gave way to the sobriety of the morning after. Unrealistically high
expectations were awakened on October 12 and when these expectations were
disappointed and remained unfulfilled, frustration set in. The revolution we
all expected and which seemed so certain at the time, did not take place.
Today, Pakistan is a ghost of its former self. If it were to look into a
mirror, it won’t recognize itself. Today say: “Pakistan” and what comes to
mind: sham democracy, fraudulent referendum, rigged elections, a President
in uniform, a rubber stamp parliament, a pliant judiciary and a figurehead
PM. Democracy in the west means a political system marked not only by free
and fair elections, but also by Rule of Law, a strong, independent judiciary
and an independent Election Commission. All these institutions are
non-existent in Pakistan. Since the days of Herodotus democracy has meant,
first and foremost, rule of the people. In Pakistan, the people do not rule.
The sovereign power of the State resides elsewhere. Five years ago, ruthless
accountability of corrupt holders of public office was on top of General
Musharraf’s agenda. What prevented him from making good on his promise to
arrange for the expeditious accountability of all those who bartered away
the nation’s trust and plundered the country’s wealth? Why are so many known
corrupt holders of public office still at large? Why have so many got away?
Why were they sworn in as Ministers? And why were judiciary and army
exempted from accountability?
The contrast between the current tide of public disillusionment with
President Musharraf and the grassroots’ support for him five years ago is
stark. Five years ago, he was being widely heralded as a people’s champion.
Today, he risks being dismissed as the latest in a long line of easily
forgotten rulers. To paraphrase Churchill, the last five years of his rule
were the years that locusts have eaten. His prospects of changing Pakistan
are dimming fast although he continues to mouth the rhetoric of reform. The
electorate feels betrayed. People are asking; is Musharraf really up to the
job? Does he know where he wants to go? Do we want to go there? Does
he have a central focus? In short, do we like what we see… or suffer from
buyer’s remorse?
“Ruin comes”, Plato said in 347 BC, “when the General uses his army to
establish a military dictatorship”. Five years after he captured political
power, General Musharraf’s authoritarian regime, far from being temporary,
is acquiring the mantle of permanence. Unless checked, the country will
settle into a form of government with a democratic façade and a hard inner
core of authoritarianism – an iron hand with a velvet glove. When that
happens, there will be no need for the imposition of martial law. If anybody
in this country or abroad thinks that General Musharraf will hold free and
fair elections in this country in 2007 and retire; that a genuine transfer
of power to a civilian government will follow the election and army will
return to the barracks, he must have his head examined. Today power is
concentrated at the tip of the Executive pyramid. The lesson of history is
that a person who possesses supreme power, seldom gives it away
voluntarily.
Today Pakistan is a shadow of what it used to be. What is there to
celebrate? The Federation is united only by a ‘Rope of Sand’. The
constitution is prostrate. 58 years after independence, Pakistan is
torn between its past and present and dangerously at war with itself. A
general languor has seized the nation. As we look back at all the squandered
decades, it is sad to think that for Pakistan it has been a period of
unrelieved decline and the dream has turned sour.
Pakistan is drifting away from the democratic path and sliding into
darkness. It is like a nightmare in which you foresee all the horrible
things which are going to happen and can’t stretch out your hand to prevent
them. Such is the feeling conjured up by army rule in Pakistan. The irony is
that Musharraf calls it the Renaissance, the rebirth, the renewal of
Pakistan. “Pakistan”, he said recently, “Has woken up”. How I wish it were
true. Unfortunately, Musharraf has an unparalled ability to insulate
himself from inconvenient facts and reality. A President directing the State
from a seat in the crater of a volcano can hardly be expected to think
clearly. Time and again history invited Musharraf to play a democratic role,
and time and again he chose the wrong course. “I must remain in uniform”,
General Musharraf said recently, “for the sake of democracy in Pakistan”.
Butt the irony is that, today General Musharraf’s uniform is the greatest
impediment and the biggest roadblock to democracy in Pakistan. Heavens won’t
fall if he were to retire as COAS and take off his uniform. The Pakistan
Army is quite capable of producing an equally competent and patriotic army
chief. Nobody is indispensable. The graves of the world are filled with the
bones of indispensable people.
The Pakistan army is a people’s army, in the sense that it belongs to the
people of Pakistan who take a jealous and proprietary interest in it. It is
not so much an arm of the Executive branch as it is an arm of the people of
Pakistan. It is the only shield we have against foreign aggression. Why
politicize it? Why expose it to the rough and tumble of politics? Why use it
as an instrument for grabbing and retaining political power?
The military has cast a long shadow over politics in Pakistan even during
the period of civilian rule. Repeated army intervention in the politics of
Pakistan has been a recipe for disaster. It has thwarted the growth and
development of parliamentary democracy and destroyed whatever little
faith people had in their political institutions. What is worse, it has
eroded people’s faith in themselves as citizens of a sovereign, independent,
democratic country. Men are not corrupted by the exercise of power or
debased by the habit of obedience, but by the exercise of power which they
believe to be illegitimate, and by obedience to a rule which they consider
to be usurped and oppressive.
Will our military rulers ever learn from history? Will they ever learn that
military rule sows the seeds of its own downfall? Will they ever learn that
today there is no respectable alternative to democracy, that military rule,
direct or indirect, veiled or unveiled, is passé and is a recipe for
disaster, that Pakistan cannot survive unless the army is taken out of the
arena of political conflict and supremacy of civil power is accepted in
letter and in spirit? Today the core issue facing the nation is freedom from
army rule. Without demilitarization, Pakistan risks revolution.
We have come to a critical fork in the road. The time is now near at hand
which must determine whether Pakistan is to be ruled by the constitution or
the whim and caprice of an individual. Do we wish to remain citizens of a
Republic, or do we prefer some form of autocracy in which a General in
uniform assures us that things were never as good as they are today and that
authoritarianism is good for Pakistan?
It is time to wakeup. Let Pakistan be Pakistan again. Let it be the dream it
used to be – a dream that is almost dead today. All those who see the perils
of the future must draw together and take resolute measures to put Pakistan
back on the democratic path before Tsunami catches up and hits us all.
Needless to say, the walls of autocracy will not crumble with just one
good push. The present order will not go quietly. It will be an uphill
struggle to redeem our democracy and fashion it once again into a vessel to
be proud of. A shout in the mountains has been known to start an avalanche.
‘The best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate
intensity’. An evil spirit hangs over Pakistan. Is it our destiny that there
must always be darkness at high noon, there must always be a line of shadow
against the sun? Why is the better sort of the nation so silent today? Why
have the intellectuals adopted ‘the genre of silence’? Why is there no
outrage? Why is there no loud protest? Because, there is virtually no civil
society in Pakistan. The creative intellectuals, barring some blissful
exceptions, have been driven to ramshackle ivory towers or bought off. The
legal profession has nothing left of its former power but its rhetoric.
From my perspective, this is a dark moment in our history. I know that an
unusual agitation is pervading the people, but what it will exactly result
in, I am unable to say. “I can detect the near approach of the storm. I can
hear the moaning of the hurricane, but I can’t say when or where it will
break forth”.
Mohtarma Bhutto condoles with
Hussain Ali
Islamabad September 5, 2005:
Former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has expressed grief over the death of Qurban Ali,
the former advisor to Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and member federal council of
the Pakistan Peoples Party from Northern Areas.
Qurban Ali who was also ex-President of the Pakistan Peoples Party Northern
Areas passed away the other day due to sudden cardiac arrest.
In a condolence message addressed to Hussain Ali the son of Qurban Ali the
former Prime Minister wrote, "Senator Asif Ali Zardari and I are deeply
grieved to learn about the sad demise of your father Mr Qurban Ali. The loss
of a parent is a great tragedy. Our sympathies are with you at this
difficult time. Please accept our heartfelt condolences and convey the same
to other members of the bereaved family. Qurban Ali Sahib was with the Party
for the past three decades and served the people and the cause of the Party
with great dedication and distinction. His sacrifices, commitment and
dedication will serve as a source of inspiration to the people who suffer
for the cause and he will be long remembered."
Mohtarma Bhutto also prayed for eternal peace to the soul of Qurban Ali and
patience to members of the bereaved family to bear the loss with equanimity.
Foreign
observer raises objections to LB polls
ISLAMABAD September 6, 2005:
An International Crisis Group representative and Canadian observer
group's member, Jawad A Qurieshi, has raised serious objections to the
recently held local body (LB) elections and said there were instances of
rigging and misappropriation of voting procedures in the presence of police
and electoral authorities. Qurieshi, who has been observing the elections,
will also present a report on the elections in two weeks. Talking to Online,
he said that despite the elections being toted as independent and non-party,
they were in spirit and manner, party-based. He said official candidates
were given full technical and moral support by the government for their
campaigning. He also pointed out both the government and opposition
candidates “took full liberty whenever the opportunity and conditions
permitted them," adding that this state of affairs was more rampant at women
polling stations because they were 'easy and soft targets'. He said that at
some polling stations, more votes were cast than the registered number. He
said that the question of there being non-party or party-based elections was
more poignant because of the fact that one specific symbol had been allotted
to contestants of a particular party. He said there were open violations of
the code of conduct which included technical and official support of 'favoured'
candidates, whilst polling stations were near the homes of the official
candidates. Instances concerning the heavy presence of rangers and security
personnel within the polling booths were seen and there was no specific and
effective system for vote counting and the declaration of final results.
PTV
danced to govt’s tune to influence local polls
ISLAMABAD September 6, 2005: Pakistan's
state-run' and public sector TV channels violated the local body elections
code of conduct by publicising candidates on a party basis and by
highlighting the manifesto of the ruling party, said the Centre for Civic
Education's (CCE) media monitoring report released on Monday.
The study has been completed with the support of the European Initiative for
Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR).
"News bulletins of various TV channels frequently aired messages and
interviews of government ministers and the ruling party's leaders, who tried
to influence public opinion in favour of the ruling party-backed candidates
and groups contesting the local body elections," said the report that
analysed the contents' of main news bulletins of national and regional TV
channels from August 1 to 25. The study's initial findings are based on
daily news bulletins of major TV channels.
Government officials announced new development projects for various areas in
a bid to imply that people should vote for the government-backed candidates
if they support the government's policies, the study said.
"Although the code had prohibited the government from using official
resources for canvassing, the ruling parties used the state media to
manipulate the public opinion in their favour," said the report adding that
even opposition leaders violated the code by urging the people to vote for
candidates packed by their parties to protest against the government's
policies.
The country’s state-run TV network, Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV)
projected and promoted the ruling parties' agenda during the local elections
through its daily news bulletins, the report said. PTV -1 and PTV World,
during 40 news items with a duration of 47 minutes and eight seconds,
reported election activities in violation of the Election Commission's code.
These news segments included reports of various political leaders and
activists joining the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and the ruling
coalition's election campaign in the country's various areas.
The president and the Prime minister indirectly advocated the cause of the
government backed candidates in their speeches by urging people to reject
extremists.
During the period, the PTV's main news bulletin covered government
officials, including the president and the prime minister for six hours 50
minutes out of a total duration of 17 hours and 33 minutes. The president
got a total coverage of 44 minutes, the prime minister one hour 57 minutes,
various PML leaders got 43 minutes and opposition parties, including the
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP)
and the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy were given total coverage
of 10 minutes and 35 seconds during the 25-day election period.
Regional language satellite TV channels also aired reports that breached
the election code. A Pushto satellite TV channel actively highlighted
incidents of election code violation in its main news programme and reported
23 election code violations with a total duration of 41 minutes and 53
seconds, but it also violated the code in reports with a duration of 19
minutes and six seconds.
Another Punjabi language satellite channel aired 26 news items that broke
the election code. A Sindhi channel aired 11 reports in its daily news
bulletin with duration of 17 minutes that published electoral activities or
statements that ran contrary to the code.
Another privately owned national satellite TV channel aired news reports
ignoring the election code with a duration of 40 minutes 55 seconds and it
also ran advertisements a local election group, even after the election
campaign period had been closed under the election rules.
Opposition appeals public to
protest against price-hike on 9th September
Islamabad, 6 September 2005:
A joint meeting of ARD and MMA was held at the Central Secretariat, Pakistan
Peoples Party Islamabad in connection with the strike call on 9th September
all over Pakistan. Several committees has been formed to coordinate with
transporters, traders and other sections of the society for making the wheel
jam strike a success.
The meeting was attended by Mian Aslam MNA, Nayyar Hussain Bokhari MNA, Dr.
Tariq Chaudhry, Hamid Raza Bhatti, Zubair Khan, Kashif, Muhammad Abdul Rauf,
Youns Khan, Ch. Gul Zaib, Raja Naeem, Syed Dil Nawaz Shah, Col. Younus, M.
Waqar, Babar Minhas, Nargis Faiz Malik, Qamar Abbas, Ch. Kamran, Raja Khalid,
Raja Mansoor, Sabtain Shah, Naveed Malik, Sardar Jamil, Ibn-e-Rizvi and
Javed Mir.
The strike has been called to protest against price-hike during Musharraf
regime when General Musharraf took over the country, petrol price was 26
rupees a litre whereas just in six years time the petroleum prices have
doubled and so as the prices of daily use items. The meeting noted that it
has become impossible for the people to put two whole meal a day in front of
their children.
The meeting appealed to the public to observe the strike and demonstrate
unity so the despotic regime could be booted out and democratic dispensation
is established. The president PPP Women Wing Islamabad, Nargis Faiz Malik
has been nominated as Media Coordinator for the strike call on 9th September
2005.
Senator Asif Ali Zardari’s
bail not cancelled —Farooq H Naek
Islamabad, 6 September 2005:
Senator Farooq H Naek, Defence Counsel for Senator Asif Ali Zardari
has issued the following statement with regard to the court hearing of BMW
case today, the 6th of September.
"The bail of Senator Asif Ali Zardari has not been cancelled. The
accountability court has no power to cancel the bail because the bail was
granted by the honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Senator Asif Ali Zardari was represented today by his counsel who informed
the court that Senator Asif Ali Zardari had undergone another medical
operation and a third stint has been inserted. This medical operation took
place in New York, United States. Doctors have advised Senator Asif Ali
Zardari complete bed rest for three months. Medical certificates in this
regard were shown to the court but the court discarded the same without any
reason. An appeal would be filed against this illegal order before the
Lahore High court, Rawalpindi Bench".
In today’s hearing surety of the bail, Raja Pervez Ashraf MNA alongwith his
lawyer Nayyar Hussain Bokhari MNA was also present and informed the court
about the medical condition of Senator Asif Ali Zardari and requested the
court to exempt the personal appearance of Senator Asif Ali Zardari and that
he will appear before the court as soon as possible after his return to
Pakistan. Senator Asif Ali Zardari has been advised three months complete
bed rest. The court in its wisdom refused to accept the plea of the surety
and asked, why his bail bond should not be confiscated.
Mohtarma Bhutto condoles with
Kabir Wasti on her wife’s death
Islamabad, 7 September 2005: Former
Prime Minister and Chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party, Mohtarma Benazir
Bhutto and her spouse Senator Asif Ali Zardari have condoled with Syed Kabir
Ali Wasti over his wife’s death who passed away the other day.
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in a condolence letter addressed to Syed Kabir Ali
Wasti, wrote, "The loss of a spouse is a great tragedy. Our sympathies are
with you at this difficult time. Please accept our heartfelt condolences and
convey the same to other members of the bereaved family."
She also prayed for eternal peace to the soul of the deceased and courage to
the family members and friends to bear this irreparable loss with
equanimity.
‘Another Unreal
Election’
By: Husain Haqqani
The Nation (Pakistan) September 1, 2005
In a functioning democracy, elections are held periodically to determine
whom the people want to wield executive office and legislative power. Under
Pakistan’s vice-regal system, however, the purpose of elections is merely to
identify intermediaries between the people and a permanent State
establishment.
The State establishment monopolizes executive power and retains a veto over
legislation. The few occasions when elected governments have been allowed to
take office, the State establishment has tried its best to circumscribe the
power of elected officials.
Between 1972 and1977, an elected government managed to wield full authority
simply because the permanent State structure simply could not stay in power
after the bifurcation of the country under military rule. Change was
necessary if revolution were to be averted. Once the elected civilians had
made sufficient mistakes to discredit them, the military-led establishment
was ready to reassert itself through the coup d’etat of 1977.
The recently held local government elections were a typically vice-regal
electoral exercise. The most farcical aspect of these polls is the anomaly
of the election being held on a non-party basis but the ruling party
declaring victory. Notwithstanding the pronouncements of Pakistan’s
toothless Election Commission, the election was far from free or fair.
Candidates representing the opposition were either disqualified or
intimidated. Some Corps Commanders of Pakistan’s ostensibly professional
army told local influentials to throw their weight behind officially
approved candidates or at least sever ties with opposition political
parties.
The ubiquitous political wing of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)
operated from the shadows to coerce or blackmail candidates in some
districts. The military-intelligence apparatus made it clear that it wanted
Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) wiped out and the alliance of
Islamist parties, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), contained.
Although candidates were not running formally as nominees of political
parties, their affiliations were known to the local electors. The
establishment wanted the King’s Party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q)
to win in Punjab and rural Sindh while the ethnic Muhajir party MQM was to
gain control of Urban Sindh. A truncated result in NWFP and Balochistan was
desired and secured with military precision.
What must one make of General Pervez Musharraf’s assertion that “extremists
have been defeated” in the local government elections? A reference to
Pakistan’s chequered history might shed some light on the
General-President’s mindset.
In August 1958, almost two months before Pakistan’s first direct military
coup, the British High Commissioner at Karachi reported to his superiors in
London the possibility of the military’s direct assumption of power. Then
president, Major General Iskander Mirza had shared with the High
Commissioner the view that democracy was unsuited to a country like Pakistan
even as plans were publicly laid out for general elections scheduled for
early 1959.
According to declassified British papers, the British High Commissioner, Sir
Alexander Symon reported that the Pakistani President had told him of his
intention to intervene “if the election returns showed that a post-electoral
government was likely to be dominated by undesirable elements.” Sir
Alexander noted parenthetically that the term ‘undesirable’ was not defined
“and no doubt the term may include any persons who are unlikely to vote for
Iskander Mirza as President.”
Just as General Iskander Mirza considered anyone unlikely to vote for him
for president as “undesirable”, General Musharraf clearly considers his
opponents and critics as “extremists.”
Students of Pakistan’s political history know that soon after the 1958 coup
d’etat, Pakistan’s military leadership started searching for “forms of
democracy” that would allow the generals to retain control of policy while
allowing civilians an illusion of political power and some control over
patronage.
Field Marshal Ayub Khan’s Basic Democrats system was the first attempt to
present local government as a building block for a gradual transition to
democracy, guided by a military ruler. But Ayub Khan found soon after
initiating the system that even his Basic Democrats might not elect him
president when the sister of Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, ran as
the candidate of the combined opposition.
The January 1965 presidential election had to be fixed to ensure Ayub Khan’s
re-election and the country had to be plunged into war later that year to
redeem the general’s reputation as the nation’s saviour. Fixed elections
ensure a general’s continued control over the country’s government but are
insufficient to provide the legitimacy that all coup makers badly covet.
The weakness of Ayub Khan’s system was exposed when he was forced to resign
after months of street protests. Instead of transferring power under the
constitution he had enforced, Ayub Khan allowed abrogation of the
constitution and handed over to another general.
Constitutional reforms and the need for a new system had clearly been
excuses to justify government by the army commander-in-chief. Once Ayub was
no longer in charge at GHQ, the baton had to be passed on to whomever
commanded the army. Basic Democrats had outlived their utility and the
carefully crafted constitution was by now useless.
In 1970, General Yahya Khan held a free and fair national election in the
hope that it would return a truncated parliament that he would then bend to
his own wishes. Declassified American government papers cite Yahya Khan’s
generals telling diplomats in private that they were “attempting to insure
that the Constituent Assembly is so fragmented as to render impossible the
drafting of a constitution.” The military wanted the populace “to realize
that the politicians cannot act unitedly,” providing justification for
continued military rule. The official plan called for an honest casting of
ballots and an honest count. Official influence on the outcome of the polls
was to be managed, not through the rigging of the ballot, but by
manipulation of the process leading to the elections.
The results of the 1970 election surprised the military establishment,
leading them to believe that never again should the political process be
given free rein. Once they had got rid of populist politician Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto, the military’s institutional view of democracy was summed up in the
words of an associate of General Ziaul Haq. Talking to a U.S. academic, this
three-star general had said, “Elections have given birth only to goons and
chaos and confusion.”
From 1988 to 1999, the military establishment attempted to manage the “goons
and chaos and confusion” until General Musharraf’s coup d’etat brought
Pakistan back to a 1958-like moment. The nation’s generals went back to the
drawing board, attempting to craft a “new system”, a major element of which
once again happens to be the local government system.
The military establishment and its apologists argue that the military’s
political intervention was necessitated by the widely discussed incompetence
and corruption of the politicians that held power during the 1990s. But
Pakistan’s history did not begin in 1988 and with the political competition
between Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, both of whom have been
systematically maligned by Pakistan’s establishment.
Pakistan’s army chiefs, beginning with Ayub Khan, have disqualified a
generation of politicians at ten-year intervals, claiming that through local
government and “grassroots democracy”, duly controlled by the ISI, they will
produce a stable, democratic system over time.
Pakistan’s problem, quite clearly, does not lie with specific politicians
and their flaws. It is the product of an attitude that puts generals on a
pedestal, refuses to recognize politics as a legitimate occupation and
refuses to allow the will of the people to manifest itself in free and fair
elections. General Musharraf’s claims of building “real democracy” ring
hollow in the absence of real elections.
(Husain Haqqani is a Visiting Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace and Associate Professor of International Relations at
Boston University. He served as adviser to Pakistani Prime Ministers Nawaz
Sharif and Benazir Bhutto and as Pakistan’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka)
.jpg)
Expected
Recognition of Israel Part of Agenda Given to Musharraf
By Wajid Shamsul Hasan
LONDON,
September 5: The rapid moves that Islamabad has been making indicate
that Pakistan would soon become the 5th Muslim country to recognize Israel,
the other four being Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Mauritania while Morocco and
Qatar only have limited trade ties. And the credit for it would not go to
any elected civilian leader but to an absolute military dictator.
Since almost four years I have been writing that the recognition of Israel
was part of the multifaceted agenda assigned to General Pervez Musharraf by
powers that be in exchange for support to him for perpetuating his
authoritarian rule against the democratic aspirations of the Pakistani
people.
Pakistan held first ever formal and public contacts with Israel in Istanbul
on September 1 at its own request brokered by Turkey. Officially described
as a historic breakthrough, Islamabad has claimed that it had the backing of
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and President Mahmood Abbas of the Palestinian
State Authority. While Saudis have not yet come out publicly whether
Pakistan's initiative had their support, a spokesman of the PLA, however,
has nailed Islamabad's claim that the move had the blessing of President
Mahmood Abbas.
The Palestinian Authority said on Thursday that it was "worried" about
Pakistan's making high-level diplomatic contact with Israel despite its
occupation of east Jerusalem and the West Bank. "It is not good to give
Israel gifts before it really implements the peace process, not only in
Gaza, but in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem," deputy prime minister Nabil
Shaath told the press. "We are worried about this because it's not a good
time to start relations with Israel."
The West Bank leader of Islamist fundamentalist movement Hamas denounced the
meeting and urged Islamic and Arab states not to fall into the trap of
seeing the Gaza pullout as synonymous with the end of occupation as naively
or advertently understood by Pakistani leader General Musharraf and his
Foreign Minister Mian Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri.
"We condemn any relationship between an Islamic state and the Israelis and
we ask Pakistan to go back on this agreement, especially as the Palestinian
people have not yet been given their rights," said Hamas spokesman Hassan
Yussef.
In order to defuse hostile domestic and foreign reaction as that of PLA,
Musharraf has lost no time in stating that Islamabad would not recognize
Israel until a Palestinian state was established while Israeli Prime
Minister Sharon is insisting that he sees no final status talks with the
Palestinians in the foreseeable future
According to diplomatic sources General Pervez Musharraf has been under too
much pressure from his pro-Zionist Western mentors to recognize Israel. The
Gaza pullout gave them the stick to browbeat the General into taking
initiatives that would soon foreclose recognition. He had also been conveyed
that a positive gesture could mean further extension in the fast expiring
insurance cover to his absolute hold on power that seemed to be becoming
more of an embarrassment to Washington currently marketing democracy as a
global phenomenon.
In this context Assistant of Secretary of State Christina Rocca had not
minced her words during her last visit to Islamabad where she made it
categorically known in the shadow of countrywide allegations of massive
pre-poll rigging in the local bodies elections, that the United States would
like to see 2007 general elections to be completely transparent with even
playing field for all the political parties and leaders.
In the footsteps of pro-democratic rumblings came the news that Musharraf
has accepted the invitation to address the powerful American Jewish Congress
following the visit of its key members to Islamabad as his value-added
guests. Sources in Islamabad had hinted that things would start moving
towards a thaw with Israel after Musharraf's September visit to the United
States. They had failed to gauge the urgency propelling Islamabad.
In desperation Turkish intervention was sought, a meeting was brokered in
Istanbul where Pakistan's Foreign Minister Kasuri had rushed to reveal that
his country had decided to "engage" to hold talks with Israel after years as
one of its harshest critics because of what it saw as the beginning of the
end of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.
While PLA is extremely "worried" over a move described by it as premature,
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, said Israel hoped to use the
Pakistan talks as a springboard for broader diplomatic ties with Muslim and
Arab countries that have long spurned it. Shalom believes that his meeting
would "finally lead to a full diplomatic relationship with Pakistan as we
would like to see with all Arab countries." "We made a huge breakthrough
today...," Shalom said. "We think it will be a very positive signal to
Israeli and Palestinian public opinion that there are some fruits from this
withdrawal from Gaza."
In a wider move to rope in other Islamic states to recognizing Israel,
Jordan's King Abdullah is also expected to visit Israel as early as next
week to lend his support for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's dismantling of
Gaza settlements.
Israel's recognition is thus around the corner, not far away, a matter of
months and not years. Not that, such a recognition would help Islamabad much
though it would definitely help Musharraf's personally as the man who can
deliver. When in Washington later this month, he would have a very
depressive tale to tell to his bosses how much he had personally to suffer
for fulfilling Israeli part of the agenda assigned to him.
When one looks at the speed behind his moves, it seems that Musharraf is
half way through his agenda. He has already made solution of Kashmir issue
easier by surrendering to India Pakistan's traditional stand on the UN
resolution for plebiscite in Kashmir, not many years ago for the civilian
leaders it was something non-negotiable and sacrosanct.
Besides Kashmir, he has delivered a great deal on Pakistan's nuclear
program. One of the most important issues assigned to him in the agenda was
the decision to roll back Pakistan's nuclear program. With Dr. AQ Khan
sitting on top of it, it would have been impossible for him to dislodge even
its single brick. Now Dr Khan has been taken care of, rendered into a
vegetable by design.
From the day he was relieved from KRL in 2001 Pakistan has been on the
downward slide and Musharraf Administration has done it very shabbily to
self-branding Pakistan as being a rogue nuclear state. His recent diatribe
against Dr Khan directly involving him in the North Korean deals shows a
method in the madness, making a scapegoat of Dr Khan while himself having
the cake of his spoils and eating it too.
Instead of defending a program that has practically immunized the anorchous
Pakistani generals from the Indian Army, Musharraf and his men sacrificed
the man who gave them this virtual "Viagra". Our Generals are only capable
of using their guns on unarmed civilians seeking their democratic and
fundamental rights and have no shame in surrendering vital strategic
locations such as Siachen to India without firing a shot.
Throughout the Cold War Washington's agenda was multifaceted with the sole
objective of combating and minimizing the increasing influence of Soviet
Union. In the process, on the one hand, Islamists were backed, picked up,
pumped to counter Soviet influence in Middle East and on the other, Israel
was nurtured, nourished and nuclearized to play the role of a bastion state
to protect Western interests.
Pakistan under a military ruler, General Ayub Khan, was roped into CENTO
(earlier known as Baghdad Pact) and SEATO to be part of Washington's
strategy to counter China. Although Washington always had a soft corner for
India but it lacked trust in it due to Sino-Indian friendship until 1962. It
also realized that Pakistan under one-man rule would be more pliable and
useful for its geo-strategic interests in the region as against a democratic
India.
This was also the period when Pakistan continued to follow the Arab line on
Israel. It tagged its stand on Tel Aviv's recognition to the policy of
non-recognition by Saudi Arabia and other OIC members although it had no
common borders with Israel, no clash of economic or strategic interests.
Rather, both Israel and Pakistan shared a common raison d' etre, their
religions as founding pillars of their states. Obviously Israel was left
with no option but to befriend India and support it against Pakistan.
With the end of Cold War, Washington's Israel and Indian policies acquired a
new thrust. Pakistan under a civilian and democratically elected Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto was well oriented to rationalize its foreign policy
objectives and pursue its goals to acquire greater respect in the comity of
nations. While Bhutto stood by her independence, Pakistan's much too
interfering military establishment went the other way. Though she refused to
accept its dictations, it pursued its own agenda, both overtly and covertly,
on Kashmir, relations with India, Israel and Afghanistan with Taliban in
power was its sole domain beyond the reach of Pakistan's Foreign Office. She
did not realize that those very Quislings who had been responsible for
making a horrible example of her father would make her homeless.
Who could best serve the foreign interests? Not civilian leaders, was the
answer. The Kargil invasion in 1999, a brainchild of Musharraf, seemingly
brought the truth home to Washington once again: In Pakistan, it is the Army
Chief that calls the shots.
Clinton Administration tried to save Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif by issuing
a warning as late as September 1999 that it would not approve of a military
coup in Pakistan. However, American generals and CIA who had developed very
close liaison and understanding with their Pakistani counterparts since
their deep throated collaboration from the days of the Afghan Jihad, saw in
the General the person who could deliver for them on Kashmir, nuclear
roll-back, Bush's crusade against the Jihadi terrorists and recognition of
Israel.
And the horrendous tragedy of 9/11 led to the most profitable change in his
fortune. A pariah military dictator with whom no leader of the civilized
world, would shake hands became President Bush's blue-eyed boy and his
Knight Templar in his crusade against terrorism. Just one line American
ultimatum to him that "either you are with us or with them" brought about
from him the most astounding U-turns in military history.
Now we come to the remaining part of Musharraf agenda which relates to
recognizing Israel. Musharraf believes that once he recognizes Israel, he
will buy a perpetual life-cover for his presidency from Washington. His
"incidental" meeting with former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres early
in the year that led to "brief talks" between the two had set the ball
rolling towards the direction of recognition. Answering a question Musharraf
on his meeting made matters further clear. "We are undertaking great efforts
for this to happen."
Musharraf, it may be recalled, had first launched his recognize Israel'
operation in June 2003 when he had said: "Recognizing Israel will not bring
down the skies, if the Arabs are recognizing it, we also ought to reconsider
our policies towards Israel." Looking for an opportune moment Musharraf
again floated the idea in October 2003 when he said: "We have been in
support of the Palestinian cause. If the peace process moves forward in
justice, we can revise our policy with Israel."
Much like Musharraf's "incidental" meeting with Shimon Peres, former Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto too had a chance meeting with him at an
international forum in Europe where the two shared the podium with other top
leaders including Gorbachev. Like his invitation to Musharraf, Peres also
invited Benazir Bhutto to visit Israel. While Musharraf seems to have
dropped the long-standing position of Pakistan's support for the
Palestinians, Ms Bhutto's response was more appropriate. She told Peres that
she will consult Yasser Arafat (until then alive) before she says anything
on the issue of Israel's recognition or accepts invitation to visit Tel
Aviv.
The difference between Bhutto's stand and Musharraf's has been obvious.
While she would not have liked to cause "worry" to the people of Palestine,
Musharraf has gone more than an extra mile towards recognizing Israel since
it would get him closer to Washington, a step if taken by any civilian
leader in Pakistan, would have made Pakistani military establishment to hang
him/her by the gallows.
In conclusion, I share the view expressed by PPP spokesman Senator
Farhatullah Babar on the meeting of the two foreign ministers in Istanbul
that interfaith dialogue is the need of the time. However, no unilateral
decisions should be taken on issues that will have an impact both
domestically and in the Muslim world.
Had the regime taken its langri-looli (handicapped, lame) Parliament into
confidence, its decision would have become more credible. On important
foreign policy issues, solo flight and individual decisions need to be
avoided. Indeed, it is ironic that a regime that criticized former Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto for meeting with a former Israeli Prime Minister at
a Socialist International Conference has now sought the good offices of
Turkey to facilitate the meeting with the Foreign Minister of Israel. An
apology to Ms Bhutto would surely be in order.
The writer is a former Pakistan High Commissioner to UK
Story of
blunders by Delhi and Islamabad in Kashmir
Moments sinned, ages suffered
It’s been a real tragedy of errors which has made Kashmir suffer.
Palliatives won’t do, solutions are needed. And solutions are impossible if
problems are merely managed and not solved, comments M. Ashraf
Kashmir’s relationship with Delhi as well as Islamabad has seen many ups and
downs during last half century. However, at the present moment the
alienation with both is the worst in the entire history of this
relationship. This is because of the repeated blunders committed both by
Delhi as well as Islamabad in handling Kashmir from time to time. They have
been trying to manage the problem rather than solve it. The greatest blunder
is that the rulers in the two countries have been listening only to the
advice provided by their intelligence agencies and have acted upon it from
time to time with disastrous results. They have not bothered to take inputs
from political leaders, intellectuals and representatives from the cross
section of society.
Let us first take Delhi’s blunders. The first blunder was the advice to
Maharaja Hari Singh to change his Prime Minister, Ram Chand Kak, who had
been personally inclined towards total independence of Kashmir. In fact,
Maharaja Hari Singh himself was undecided about the best choice before him.
He knew that even though he was a Hindu ruler yet he had Muslim majority
population for whom he had great love and sympathy. It was the Maharaja who
had enacted the State Subject Law in 1927 to protect the poor Kashmiris from
exploitation by outsiders. In order to take a well thought out decision
about the ultimate fate of his State at the time of partition, he had
offered signing of a stand still agreement with both countries. Pakistan had
immediately signed it but Delhi had asked more time to consider it. The
second blunder was to force Maharaja’s hand in regard to state’s accession.
At the time of Tribal invasion, which had followed the revolt by Maharaja’s
troops in Poonch, led by Sardar Ibrahim, the Maharaja had asked Delhi for
assistance to save his state. However, Lord Mountbatten had replied that the
state had to first accede to India before any assistance could be given.
Why? Could the assistance not have been given without pressurising Maharaja
to accede to India? If Delhi had not forced the accession, the Maharaja
might have reached an agreement with his subjects and continued to rule as a
titular head with a popular democratic government and Pakistan would have
been the real aggressor.
Once the invasion had been halted and a cease-fire enforced, Sheikh Abdullah
who headed the local Government, tried his best to convince people that a
semi-independent Kashmir was the best choice for them. He was not allowed to
do so. Circumstances were created to turn him against India. B.N.Mullick,
the former Director of Intelligence Bureau mentions in his memoirs that it
took him two years to convince Nehru that to achieve Kashmir’s total
integration with India, Sheikh Abdullah had to be removed from the scene. An
agitation in Jammu was engineered through Parija Parishad under the banner
of “Ek Nishan, Ek Vidhan, Ek Pradhan”. Sheikh Abdullah tried to suppress
this agitation with a strong hand. Entire Indian press was against him and
there was uproar in the whole country. Sheikh Abdullah suddenly realised
that for more than six years he had suppressed all pro pak sentiment in the
valley through ruthless and draconian measures but there was hardly a
whisper in the Indian press! This convinced him that India was not a truly
secular state as claimed by Gandhi and Nehru and he had made a mistake. He
made a hard-hitting speech against India at Ranbir Singh Pora in Jammu
stating that Kashmiris had yet to decide their future and the accession was
temporary. Taking this and his meetings with Adlai Stevenson as the excuse,
Delhi removed him from the “Scene”.
Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad, who was installed as Prime Minister, tried both the
carrot and the stick to bring Kashmiris around to Indian position but
failed. This was demonstrated by the Holy Relic upheaval in December 1963,
which removed the entire Bakshi clan from the “Scene”. Nehru realised the
mistake of having removed his friend from the scene and tried to make amends
for it. Sheikh Abdullah was released from prison and sent to Pakistan (on a
passport issued with the declaration that he was a Kashmiri Muslim instead
of Indian Citizen) to meet Ayub Khan to work out a solution for Kashmir. As
soon as Sheikh Abdullah after meeting Ayub Khan, announced in Pakistan that
he had succeeded in his mission, Nehru mysteriously died a sudden death.
Sheikh Abdullah took a whirlwind tour of some foreign countries and met Chou
En Lai in Algiers.
Delhi was infuriated at this indulgence. His passport was cancelled. He
rushed back and was arrested on arrival in Delhi. He was kept in exile at
the South Indian health resort of Kodiakanal in Tamil Nadu. Then came the
August 1965 infiltration and subsequent war. This time Pakistan had sent
disciplined regulars of 16 AK Force in civilian clothes. They tried to make
it up as a local uprising but failed due to the reluctance of local
political leaders. They had also under-estimated India’s response and had
probably assessed that the conflict would remain confined to Kashmir but
India went all out for it and crossed the International border in Lahore.
Security Council brokered a cease-fire and Russia arranged talks between two
sides in Tashkent. Immediately after signing a historic agreement, Lal
Bahadur Shastri very mysteriously died in Tashkent itself. G.M.Sadiq who had
taken over as the Chief minister, tried to give a clean and efficient
governance to Kashmir but his failing health prevented him from achieving
this goal and he died during the 1971 war. This war resulted in the
dismemberment of Pakistan and creation of Bangladesh. The result of this war
probably convinced Sheikh Abdullah that Pakistan was not in a position to
liberate Kashmir. He was also fatigued by a long struggle and was persuaded
by Indra Gandhi to come back to the Indian mainstream with a promise of
restoration of full autonomy, which had been guaranteed under Article 370
and the Delhi agreement. He took over the Government of Kashmir in 1975.
Again Delhi committed yet another blunder. Instead of helping Sheikh
Abdullah to bring round people to his concept of “Azadi”, they put him on
pin pricks and he died a sad person regretting that he had put his people in
a total mess from which they seemed to have no escape! Before his death, as
a last resort to leave some opening for Kashmiris, he enacted the
Resettlement Act, which would enable Kashmiris who had migrated to Pakistan
and other places to return to Kashmir and claim their citizenship. His
funeral had record crowds from all over the State. More than a million
people. It was a pathetic scene. Some people remarked that his last journey
was not performed in correct Islamic manner. He was kept with open face and
his feet were towards the grave, which amounts to a dead person being
dragged to his grave! Carrying of his coffin from the gun carriage to the
burial spot by the uniformed soldiers for lowering of his body by the close
relations into the grave created a commotion at the funeral. It was a tragic
scene that the army, which he had helped to take over Kashmir and
subsequently, wanted withdrawn, put him to his final resting place.
Farooq Abdullah rose from his father’s funeral. People had thought that the
son might do something to lessen the burden his father had taken to his
grave. But alas Delhi did not give him any chance to do that and pulled the
rug from under his feet. He was ultimately forced into a marriage of his
nationalist party with the ruling party at Delhi. The greatest blunder ever
committed was the rigging of 1987 elections. Surrender by the Kashmir’s
nationalist party, National Conference before Delhi left a vacuum, which was
filled by the conglomeration of religious and separatist parties under the
banner of Muslim United Front, popularly known as MUF. They had decided to
project their case in the State Assembly by participating in the democratic
process. To achieve this objective, they took part whole-heartedly in the
1987 elections. They may have captured a sizeable number of seats and would
have found a strong voice in the State Assembly. Unfortunately as usual
Delhi got panicky and the elections were rigged. The winning candidate of
MUF from Amira Kadal, Mohammad Yusuf was arrested and beaten. His rival
Mohiuddin Shah of National Conference was declared elected even though he
had lost the election. Mohammad Yusuf now is the Chief of the largest
militant out fit Hizbul Mujahideen under the name of Salahuddin! After
having failed to win their battle through the ballot, the Kashmiri
nationalists took to the bullet resulting in the now famous 1990 uprising.
All the young men who had been polling agents and candidates of MUF became
militant leaders.
One of the many blunders committed by Delhi till 1990 was that most of the
central services and organisations including intelligence agencies had more
than 88% recruitment from Kashmiri Hindus (Pandits). Muslims were never
trusted. In 1990, Delhi fell in the Pakistani trap of liquidating Indian
intelligence sources in Kashmir and the Governor Jagmohan facilitated the
departure of Pandits, who had acted as eyes and ears of Indian intelligence.
He probably thought that the nationalist uprising can be given a
fundamentalist colour and field would be left open for eliminating Muslim
rebels en masse. He did succeed to some extent but his success suited
Pakistan on one hand and on the other totally alienated the Kashmiri
Muslims.
After 1996, Gary Saxena was able to rebuild the intelligence apparatus. A
large number of militants were turned around and made to surrender. The Army
called these “friendlies”. However, instead of using these to protect and
safeguard people by being their saviours, they were turned into their
tormentors. They committed all sorts of excesses on the people and got
shelter with the Army. State Police also set up a Special Task Force (STF),
mostly of non-Kashmiris to tackle militants. This force too became a very
infamous organisation dreaded by the people. Gary Saxena towards the end of
his tenure had also realised that the Kashmir Issue was not to be managed
but solved. He gave many statements to this effect. Even the Army Chief
General Vaidya stated that the Army had done its job in controlling
militancy and it was now for Politicians to solve the “Problem”. It has been
observed that all the Delhi’s men who deal with Kashmir ultimately realise
that Kashmir needs solution and not management!
After almost virtually losing Kashmir, Delhi was successful in re-installing
Farooq Abdullah as the Chief Minister on the premise of a tall promise of
return to 1953 position of autonomy. However, as usual he was kept on a
tight leash and the Union Cabinet rejected his Resolution on autonomy even
without any discussion on it. PDP came to power on the promise of providing
a “healing touch” to the tormented masses. They promised to abolish STF,
send forces back to barracks, end custodial killings and so on. Delhi never
allowed fulfilling of these promises. This ensured the maintenance of the
alienation level as high as it was at the peak of militancy.
Delhi’s attitude has always been totally colonial. Keep Kashmir with a
strong hand no matter what it costs to do so. They swear to fight Pakistan
to the last Kashmiri! “Kashmir is and will remain an integral part of India
regardless of what happens to Kashmiris”. However, it is the people who
matter and not the land. Instead of reposing total trust in Kashmiris, they
continue to rely on Intelligence agencies and the military might. British
had to leave India after 200 years. The Empire, on which Sun never used to
set, shrunk back to the British Isles. Hitler even after killing six million
Jews could not exterminate them. Violence begets violence. It is a vicious
circle.
Let us now analyse the blunders committed by Islamabad. The first blunder
was to consider Kashmir a bearer cheque because of its Muslim majority.
Those who thought like that were probably unaware of Kashmir’s long history
of suppression at the hands of foreigners. Kashmiris had suffered both at
the hands of Muslims as well as Non-Muslims. By nature Kashmiri is neither
communal nor fundamentalist. He is neither a staunch and fanatic Muslim nor
is he a rabid Hindu. He is a pure and simple Kashmiri wherever he may be.
This is because of the smooth transition of various religions in Kashmir.
Hinduism to Buddhism, then return to Hinduism and finally to Islam. None of
the changes were violent. These were due to the strength of character of the
preachers. Again Kashmiris suffered under the Mughals, then under the
Afghans, then the worst period was under the Sikhs and finally under the
Dogras. During the last period under Dogras, Kashmiris who were very poor
and wretched were looked down upon by the Punjabi Muslims. They were given
the nickname of “Hathu”. Even in Maharajas Administration, the outside
Muslim Officers would denigrate the Kashmiris and consider them wretched
souls. This was one of the main causes, which did not allow Kashmiri
intelligentsia to click with the Muslim League leadership. They completely
missed a Kashmiri’s inner psyche.
The second blunder was to send Tribals in support of the Poonch revolt.
Pakistan regular army would have done a better job for them. These people
instead of acting as saviours of the people turned into marauders and were
driven back even after reaching outskirts of Srinagar.
After the intervention of Security Council invoked by India, there was a
ceasefire. Pakistan was able to create a definite region, which they named
Azad or Free Kashmir. Here again they committed a blunder but this one was
deliberate. Had they been sincere, they would have made Azad Kashmir truly
free and independent. It should have been made a member of the United
Nations like Bhutan even though its defence would have remained Pakistan’s
responsibility. They could have entered into a treaty or a pact with the
Kashmiris. Had they done it, India would have failed to retain the other
half for long. But Pakistanis demand for Kashmir has been projected as a
matter of right to own the State as the unfinished agenda of partition.
Strategically they may be right in demanding it. Both for defence as well as
economic security of Pakistan they need Kashmir as a friendly neighbour if
not their full-fledged part. All their rivers have sources in Kashmir or
flow down to them from Kashmir. They are completely vulnerable as Kashmir
sits on their head. All through these years Pakistan has failed to
completely win over Kashmiris. They may appear to be pro-Pakistani but this
is only because that country has been the main saviour and sympathiser for
Kashmiris in all troubles inflicted on them by India. If China or for that
matter Russia had been outspoken to plead Kashmir’s cause and soothe their
suffering, they would have been pro-China or pro-Russia. On Bhutto’s
hanging, the only place in the entire sub-continent where there was upheaval
against Jamat-i-Islami and violent protests was Kashmir. This was simply
because he had declared that he would fight a thousand year war with India
to free Kashmiris. They could not imagine that Jamatis who professed to wage
Jihad could hang such a person!
The next blunder from Islamabad was the 1965 infiltration. This time
Kashmiri regulars forming part of Pakistan Army came in. They had specific
tasks and were totally disciplined unlike the tribals of 1947. They tried to
cover the intrusion as an uprising but failed. Revolutions can never be
exported. Revolutions have to grow in situ on their own. It has been
observed that every time a nationalist and patriotic movement starts in
Kashmir, it gets scuttled or hi-jacked by Islamabad’s actions. Their
leaders, Benazir Bhutto as well as Nawaz Sharif did declare a couple of
times that they would support the third option of Kashmiris for total
independence if they are given a chance to exercise the right of self
determination. However, they had to quickly withdraw their statements due to
public pressure. Islamabad wants Kashmir and not Kashmiris. They will fight
India for Kashmir till the last Kashmiri! If there is no third option then
the right of self-determination loses its meaning. It simply amounts to
asking to hand over Kashmir to them, as Kashmiris are not happy with India.
In 1990 when there was the last major uprising in Kashmir, Islamabad
committed yet another blunder. There was a massive upsurge of Kashmiri
nationalistic feelings. People in millions came out on roads demanding Azadi
or Freedom. India put down the uprising with a heavy hand. There was a
reaction. The Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front started an armed resistance
movement. However, the movement got soon fractured into pro-Independence and
pro-Pakistan factions. There was violence everywhere. Attempts were made to
both communalise as well as criminalise the movement. These succeeded to
some extent and gave it a tainted projection globally. Once peaceful land
known as Paradise on Earth turned into a virtual hell.
Following this there were two occasions when the two countries reached the
brink of total war. The situation was saved only due to intervention of
Western Powers led by USA. Both the countries came to realise that violence
will not get them anywhere. They started attempts at coming together with
the timely pats from Uncle Sam or Big Brother Bush. A number of CBMs
(Confidence Building Measures) were initiated. There has been a ceasefire on
the border but violence continues in the valley. Kashmiris continue to live
in a state of siege. Innocent people still get killed everyday. Blunders are
still made. This is happening, as both sides do not trust Kashmiris. They
talk about Kashmir without Kashmiris. The first task of both should to be
creating an atmosphere of peace in Kashmir itself. This can be done by
withdrawing the draconian legislations, Armed Forces Special Powers Act and
the Disturbed Areas Act, removing forces from civilian areas and sending
these back to barracks and declaring an internal ceasefire. Both the
countries should repose complete trust in all the people of Kashmir
irrespective of their religion, cast and creed and should have a dialogue
with all sections of the society no matter what their views be. This is the
only way forward. Use of force on either side will get us nowhere and will
go on adding to the list of blunders. The vicious circle of violence can
only be stopped if the two countries genuinely and honestly try to resolve
the problem than manage it!
Senator Zardari
undergoes angioplasty
Islamabad September 1, 2005: Senator
Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday underwent angioplasty at Mount Senai hospital
in New York.
Another stent was put in due to narrowing of the artery.
Mr. Asif Zardari is in hospital and is recuperating.
PPP comments on meeting
between Pakistani and Israeli Foreign Ministers
Islamabad September 1, 2005:
Commenting on the meeting between Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid
Mahmood Kasuri and the Israeli Foreign Minister today in Ankara a spokesman
of the Party has issued the following statement today.
"In the new world order, interfaith dialogue is the need of the time.
"However, no unilateral decisions should be taken on issues which will have
an impact both domestically and in the Muslim world.
"PPP is critical of the regime for not taking Parliament into confidence
before this important development. On important foreign policy issues, solo
flight and individual decisions in the realm of foreign policy must be
avoided.
"Institutional decisions are legitimate with staying power whereas
individual ones are not.
"It is ironic that a regime which criticised Mohtarma Bhutto and PPP for
meeting with a former Israeli Prime Minister at a Socialist International
Conference is now seeking the good offices of Turkey to facilitate the
meeting with the Foreign Minister of Israel.
"The regime should apologise to the PPP leader and to the PPP for its
earlier criticism".
Mohtarma Bhutto condemns rape and brutalisation of
Sonia Naz
Demands judicial probe, arrest and punishment to
criminals
Islamabad September 1, 2005:
Former Prime Minster and Chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma
Benazir Bhutto has expressed profound shock and grief over the plight of
Sonia Naz of Faisalabad who was allegedly raped and tortured by police
officials as she mounted search for her husband missing for the past several
months.
Sonia Naz 23 and a mother of two kids was arrested from the National
Assembly in April this year for entering into the House without permission
to seek help of the Prime Minister in locating her missing husband. She was
sent to jail by the Speaker for breach of the security and privilege of the
House. Her travails involving torture, abduction and rape began after she
was arrested from the Parliament and sent to jail. She has accused senior
police officers of molesting and raping her and at the same time threatening
her with more humiliation if she opened her mouth.
In
a statement today Mohtarma Bhutto said it was shocking beyond measure that a
young woman who sought the help of Parliament should end up being treated so
brutally and callously.
She said that the rape, humiliation and brutal treatment of Sonia Naz and
the torture and humiliation of her entire family showed much the women of
this country had to fight discrimination against them and seek justice.
Mohtarma Bhutto said that those who tortured and raped Sonia Naz appear to
have done so because crimes against women are seldom punished. Only recently
a most heinous crime against Dr Shazia Khalid in Baluchistan not only went
unpunished but instead ended up in the banishing the victim woman herself
from the country.
When criminals involved in such cases get scot free either because they are
too powerful or because of the apathy of the society towards women victims
it only encourages more such crimes against them, she said. Mohtarma Bhutto
demanded a judicial probe into the incident to ascertain the truth and
severe punishment to those guilty of the crime.
She also urged the human rights bodies and members of legal fraternity to
raise their voice against the perpetrators of the crime.
Mohtarma Bhutto also directed various committees of the Party to take up the
matter at relevant forums.
The PPP Senators have also requisitioned a special meeting of the Senate
Committee on Human Rights to consider the issue. The PPP notice of
requisitioned meeting says,’The crie de cour by a Pakistani woman Sonia Naz
is a tragic commentary on the state o f human rights particularly that of
the women in the country, has brought a bad name to the country and calls
for an immediate debate and discussion to know the truth and also to
consider ways and means to stop the recurrence of such incidents’.
The former Prime Minister demanded the immediate arrest and punishment
according to the law to those involved in the crimes against Sonia Naz.
Senator Asif
Ali Zardari to undergo angiography test
Islamabad, 1 September 2005: Senator Asif Ali Zardari underwent
thalium test in a hospital in New York early Wednesday morning.
As a result of the thalium test doctors have advised another angiography for
Mr. Zrdari.
Mr. Asif Ali Zardari will undergo another angiography later today.
Mohtarma Bhutto
congratulates Polish nation on 25th Anniversary of Solidarity
Islamabad, 1
September 2005: Former Prime
Minister and Chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has
felicitated Polish nation on the 25th anniversary of solidarity.
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in a letter addressed to. Bogdan Marczewski, the
ambassador of Poland in Islamabad, wrote, "Solidarity was born in Gdansk
Shipyard in 1980 and in less than a decade led the movement that culminated
in the fall of Berlin Wall in 1989. The epic people's movement called
Solidarity soon became the symbol of resistance which helped usher in a bold
new era of freedom and democracy."
She further wrote, "As your great nation marks the 25th anniversary of
Solidarity freedom movement, we in Pakistan join the heroic people of Poland
in this hour of celebration and triumph. We draw inspiration from the
enviable example set by the victory of freedom in Poland. In turn, we aspire
to free our own country from the Pakistani version of iron curtain otherwise
known as military tyranny."
"As we continue our own struggle for emancipation from military rule we
celebrate the triumph of Poland's Solidarity as our own success", she
concluded.
BB condemns rape and
brutalisation of Sonia Naz
ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minster and
Chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party Benazir Bhutto has expressed
profound shock and grief over the plight of Sonia Naz of Faisalabad who was
allegedly raped and tortured by police officials as she mounted search for
her husband missing for the past several months.
Sonia Naz, 23 and a mother of two kids was arrested from the National
Assembly in April this year for entering into the House without permission
to seek help of the Prime Minister in locating her missing husband.
In a statement Thursday Bhutto said it was shocking beyond measure that a
young woman who sought the help of Parliament should end up being treated so
brutally and callously.
She said that the rape, humiliation and brutal treatment of Sonia Naz and
the torture and humiliation of her entire family showed much the women of
this country had to fight discrimination against them and seek justice.
Benazir Bhutto said that those who tortured and raped Sonia Naz appear to
have done so because crimes against women are seldom punished. Only recently
a most heinous crime against Dr Shazia Khalid in Baluchistan not only went
unpunished but instead ended up in the banishing the victim woman herself
from the country.
When criminals involved in such cases get scot free either because they are
too powerful or because of the apathy of the society towards women victims
it only encourages more such crimes against them, she said.
Benazir Bhutto demanded a judicial probe into the incident to ascertain the
truth and severe punishment to those guilty of the crime.
She also urged the human rights bodies and members of legal fraternity to
raise their voice against the perpetrators of the crime.
Mohtarma Bhutto also directed various committees of the Party to take up the
matter at relevant forums.
The PPP Senators have also requisitioned a special meeting of the Senate
Committee on Human Rights to consider the issue. The PPP notice of
requisitioned meeting says,'The crie de cour by a Pakistani woman Sonia Naz
is a tragic commentary on the state o f human rights particularly that of
the women in the country, has brought a bad name to the country and calls
for an immediate debate and discussion to know the truth and also to
consider ways and means to stop the recurrence of such incidents'.
The former Prime Minister demanded the immediate arrest and punishment
according to the law to those involved in the crimes against Sonia Naz.
Elections, now and then
By: Ayaz Amir
Karachi: Caught in an
election campaign, as I have been for the past month phase two of the local
bodies’ elections thoughts turn to electoral contests past and present.
Despite our bad political record as a country, despite the vicissitudes of
military rule, this remains an intensely political society, politics the
favourite subject of conversation of all classes of people. Go to a village
and the talk soon will turn to politics. In a drawing room almost the first
question is, "What’s happening?"
In November 1964 just a week before the annual exams, Mr Charlesworth, the
principal of my college, called me to his office to tell me that my father
wanted me in Chakwal for a day or so because Madar-i-Millat Miss Fatima
Jinnah (contesting the presidential election against Field Marshal Ayub
Khan) was coming to address a public meeting.
Imagine my astonishment because my father, averse to holidays or indeed
levity of any kind, was here getting me away from college just a few days
before the exams. But then Miss Jinnah’s coming to Chakwal was no ordinary
matter and as I look back over the years I am glad those summons came.
When she arrived in the open space (now a sort of bazaar) just outside our
house, I saw flint-hearted men, beyond sentiment of any kind, blubbering
with tears. There was nothing charismatic about Miss Jinnah’s person. But
she was charismatic by association, the Quaid-i-Azam’s sister in person, and
that is why after all these years I still remember the outpouring of emotion
which greeted her arrival and her speech a short time later.
Who were the leaders accompanying her? Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, Sardar
Shaukat Hayat, Mian Mahmud Ali Kasuri (foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri’s
father who, incidentally, wouldn’t have been caught dead in anything like
the Q-League, but I suppose times change) and Pir Safiuddin of Makhad.
Indeed, the bodyguards accompanying Miss Jinnah throughout her tour of
Punjab and Frontier were from the Makhad estate.
The star of the show, however, indeed of that entire presidential campaign,
was the great Habib Jalib, his poetry and singing voice mesmerising the huge
crowd. Forty years have passed but his verses of that period are still
engraved in public memory: "Aisey dastoor ko, subah-i-benoor ko, main nahin
manta, main nahin manta..." "Such a constitution (the reference being to the
Ayub regime) — such a morning without light, I do not accept, I do not
accept." The arrival of every military saviour gives Jalib’s poetry a fresh
lease of life. Votary of no narrow sect, Jalib spared no one. His heart bled
with the separation of East Pakistan in 1971. He was no fan of Bhutto’s and
disliked his authoritarian ways.
But when Bhutto fell and Gen. Zia seized power, some of his most resonant
poetry was a response to the hypocrisy and cruelty of the Zia regime. He was
a fan of Benazir’s but when she went about making a fool of herself as Prime
Minister there were some withering couplets about her as well. What would he
have made of "enlightened moderation?"
When the clouds disperse and the mountain summits are clear, and Pakistan
comes into its own and the last of our military saviours retreats into the
sunset, a statue in bronze or granite of Jalib, as he was in the Sixties —
flowing hair and rebel eyes — should be raised in Parliament Square,
Islamabad, with the "morning-without-light" poem inscribed at its base.
The 1970 elections caused a storm to blow across both wings of Pakistan.
Caught in the fever of that moment, how could we have known where that storm
was heading or what grim destruction it would wreak?
The echoes of the ill-fated 1977 elections deluded many of us into thinking
that tyranny (of sorts) was being dealt a blow and democracy’s hour was at
hand. Little did we realise that in the witches’ cauldron of that summer of
misguided discontent, a right-wing conspiracy was being hatched which, far
from securing democracy, would lead inexorably to the long night of Ziaul
Haq’s rule, a penalty far in excess of any sins the people of Pakistan may
have committed.
The first election in which I did any campaigning was the 1979 local
election ordained by Zia — that election too part of the unvarying pattern
of military rule. Military saviours invariably go for local elections and,
invariably, these elections are "partyless," the very notion of party
clashing with the military’s preference for a sanitised political
environment. General elections come later and when they do the objective, no
matter what it takes, is the achieving of "positive results."
Ayub, Zia, Musharraf — with minor variations, the same musical score, the
same symphony. And therefore the same sounds. They all sound the same, they
look the same. And yet the heaviest investment military regimes make is into
wanting the nation to believe that they are different, that the corrupt will
be held to account, the streets will forever be clean and on the skyline a
brave new vista is about to emerge. To achieve credibility, the saviour
complex seeks two things above all: collective amnesia and collective
gullibility. The nation should forget and the nation should be ready to make
a fool of itself all over again.
Campaigning back then was not so much arduous as primitive. There weren’t
too many roads in the countryside and, God knows, there weren’t any
telephones. Everything had to be done "manually," so to speak, messages
being conveyed by word of mouth and a great deal of difficult travelling
being undertaken to reach remote areas.
It’s so different these days, the difference itself being a measure of the
spectacular progress we’ve made in so many fields. There’s hardly a village
now, at least in my part of Punjab, to which a metalled road (forget the
potholes) doesn’t reach. And our transport ... whereas once-upon-a-time I
remember campaigning on a single Suzuki carry-dubba, electioneering these
days is a far more swanky affair with candidates and supporters going about
in latest cars, the rhetoric of poverty a world away from all this expense
and glitter.
The public meeting still remains the favoured method of voter-contact but
the spread of the telephone has added a whole new dimension to the task of
political communication in the backwaters of the Pakistani countryside. And
everyone, but everyone, has a mobile phone or aspires to have one. We had
mobile phones even in the 2002 general elections but with coverage sparse,
most district areas were out of cell phone reach. Which makes these local
elections the first real mobile phone elections in the history of Pakistan.
A couple of evenings ago I was out campaigning and because we were behind
time and people at other places were waiting, I must have got 20 calls on my
mobile phone within the hour asking where I was. I would say just out of
Jabbi, now close to Sohair, now about to enter Khara, an ease of
communication unimaginable just a few years ago.
So we’ve come a long way technically, technology compressing time and space.
But conceptwise we remain stuck in the dark ages, with the old script of
manufactured kings’ parties, partyless local elections, heavily-influenced
general elections and Parliament a mere showpiece, the information and
communication revolutions superimposed on the frozen verities of military
rule.
Anyway, the roadmap is clear. After the first and second phases of the local
elections, polls for the district and tehsil nazims and then the machinery
of state cranking up slowly for the ponderous but predictable objective of
fixing the 2007 general elections and securing another five-year term for
the President. The more things change...
By arrangement with Dawn
Babar counts
PPP services to women
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has rejected the remarks of
President Pervez Musharraf that women were not empowered during the
governments of twice elected woman prime minister, Benazir Bhutto.
A spokesman for the party, Senator Farhatullah Babar on Thursday counted the
achievements of Benazir Bhutto for the womenfolk and asked the president not
to let his animosity blind him towards what their governments had done for
women.
He said the UN Convention on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women was
signed in 1995 and ratified in 1996 during Benazir’s government. She set up
a Commission of Inquiry for Women, headed by a Supreme Court judge to
recommend the removal of discriminatory laws against women.
"Among the commission’s several recommendations included giving women 33 per
cent representation in elected bodies," he said. He said that it was the PPP
government of Benazir Bhutto that reserved 5 to 10% jobs in public and
private sectors for women and set up family courts.
"The PPP lifted ban on Pakistani women taking part in international sporting
events and established a separate Women Sports Board. Women were appointed
in higher judiciary, first Women Bank was established and Women police
stations were set up for the first time in the country," he said.
He said a Human Rights Division was set up to focus on violation of human
rights primarily of women. "A large number of women charged under Hudood
laws were released from jails and whipping of women and old men stopped," he
added.
Farhatullah Babar said the PPP and most of the NGOs that agitated issues of
women’s abuse were motivated solely by a sense of duty towards the weak and
oppressed.
"They neither demonised the country nor had any financial or some unholy
agenda as was alleged by General Musharraf and should explain what his
agenda was when he denied justice to the rape victim, Dr Shazia Khalid and
forced her to leave the country".
He said Musharraf also said that rape incidents were rampant in other
countries but the NGOs and political parties did not go about bandying these
incidents. "Yes, rape takes place everywhere but nowhere rapists are
protected by perverted laws in the name of religion like the Hudood laws in
Pakistan nor the head of state gives a certificate of innocence to alleged
rapists even before judicial inquiry as in case of Dr Shazia Khalid in
Pakistan," he added.
Pakistan Peoples Party
Condemns the Use of the National Assembly as a Presidential Ordinance
Factory.
Sherry Rehman,
President, Central Policy Planning
Pakistan Peoples Party
Pakistan Peoples Party condemns the way in which this regime is bent on
reducing parliament to a charade by running it for six hours a week and
turning it into an Ordinance Factory.
In a statement released by the Islamabad media office, Sherry Rehman,
President of Central Policy Planning for the PPP, said that it is clear
after the farcical Local Bodies exercise that the government is determined
to turn even the residual powers of the National Assembly into a
rubber-stamp for one-man rule.
By passing the Federal Public Services Commission Ordinance, the government
has demonstrated that it is no longer able to tolerate any checks and
balances on the growing and absolute powers of a military presidency.
Instead of addressing the problems confronting the people of Pakistan , the
government is busy dismantling the autonomy of any remaining institutions in
the country. The Federal Public Services Commission is now under a
Presidential Ordinance Axe whereby its established rules and independence as
guaranteed by law, under the Constitution, are being chopped to maximize the
discretionary powers of the President and Prime Minister. By reducing the
tenure of its members from five to three years, the government will be able
to weed out ' non-compliant members' of the FPSC, thus eliminating any
challenges to its single writ, and reducing the autonomy under which the
organization is supposed to function in. The Ordinance demonstrates clearly
that the government is not willing to tolerate any institutional checks on
its arbitrary decision-making on its whims and political goals, Rehman said.
The PPPP MNA added that the same kind of authoritarianism is evident in the
way this government has dismantled its own Police Order 2000 by giving the
Chief Ministers arbitrary powers of transfers and postings. These amendments
in the Police Order 2002 make massive cuts in the operational autonomy of
the police. They are clearly aimed at opening the door for further abuse of
the police force to pursue the political goals of eliminating the opposition
and other possible challenges to this regime. This growing dependence on the
military regime on the use of law enforcing forces in order to manipulate
political outcomes has been painfully evident in the Local Bodies Polls,
where over three hundred police officials were transferred across the
country illegally after the announcement of the Poll Schedule on June 30
2005.
According to Rehman, the regime then directed the Chief Ministers to use the
more compliant police officials to illegally detain, kidnap and arrest
political opponents all over the country.
On behalf of the PPP, Sherry Rehman demanded that the government withdraw
these draconian ordinances and turn its attention to the growing crisis of
price inflation and political stalemate in the country.
There was a great Prime Minister, the first Prime Minister, the father
of the present Prime Minister of India, who said, "We were too old, we
were too tired to oppose Pakistan, and Pakistan had to come into being.
But we hope that one day we will get together gain." I too hope so, not
that Pakistan will emerge as subservient to India but in the sense that
we will get together again as equal friends, in a common fraternity,
living in a common subcontinent and sharing the common effort of seeing
that poverty, ignorance and misery are wiped out. If there are any two
countries in world that are the poorest in the world, they are Pakistan
and India. Our resources might be tremendous, but the fact is that we
two are the poorest in the world. Yet in the last 24 years, we have gone
to war three times. Three times there has been conflict in the
subcontinent. I remember that Prime Minister of the Soviet Union once
telling me that even rich nations try to avoide war; poorer nations
should make a greater attempt to avoid war.