At Last...Nationalism at Last

At last, my friends, nationalism at last. For sixty long years now, the so-called forces of liberty, unification, centralization and freedom, be they regional or global, have been denouncing any politics that bases itself on the true theory of nationalism i.e. a nation is defined by region, language, culture and ethnicity and not by a centralizing, hegemonic, artificial, unifying political theories such as Socialism or Pan-Islamism. For sixty long years now, since the end of the Second World War, when the combined forces of international finance and their ideological Bolshevik partners defeated the stalwarts of Nationalism in Europe there has only been one winner and Nationalism as a consequence has since found itself on the wrong side of the whip.

All that started to change with the crumbling of the Soviet Empire: An empire that, just as I have described above, wiped out ethnicities and cultures and languages in the name of social equality and human brotherhood and tried to maintain a powerful centralized state on the basis of a political ideology, Bolshevik Socialism that is. With the detachment of Baltic States, Ukraine, Belarus and the Central Asian States, socialism and in the process the existence of ideological states was dealt a heavy blow. Czechoslovakia followed the lead and this artificial state, once again held in the name of the higher moral values of Humanity, Social Equality and Liberty, dissolved itself into what it actually was comprised of: Two distinct regions, culture, languages, identities and hence political entities. Czech Republic and Slovakia hence saw the light of the day.

Yugoslavia was the next to follow. The transformation from Serb hegemony to regional liberty was not easy though because the additional factor of religion complicated the already tension laden ethnic diversity. Yugoslavia exists no more; like Czechoslovakia, like Vichy France, like USSR and like Weimar Republic, it exists only in history books and only in the whimsical fantasies of a generation that left the Eastern European and Eurasian political scene as a loser even after winning the bloodiest battle mankind has ever seen.

Pakistan, also a political whim of the post Second World War order, is perfectly analogous, to any one of these states. It is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual state with several distinct regions separated by distinct natural boundaries held by three distinct, but converging, centralising forces. The underlying ideology of the of them is Islam, the religion, the pretext on which the country was found by the remnants of the Central Asian ruling elite living in the great Indian midlands that had lost the Indian Empire to the British. These ex-elites transformed itself into British trained bureaucracy and have controlled the country since its independence. The second of these forces is Feudalism. The Feudals of the North-Western India found natural allies in the Aligarh led Muslim bureaucracy of the British India that provided a cushion against the anti-feudal threats of All India Congress. Democracy in the presence of Feudalism only legitimises the Feudals by giving the control of the state machinery in their hands and justice, in lieu of becoming a tool to provide justice, becomes a tool to preserve status quo hence defending the interests of the ruling class, Feudals that is.

The third force, and most powerful by the way, is Pakistan Army. Ayub Khan, saw the farce inherent in the creation of the new country that was carved out by a people not living in it, with the help of the Feudal and Tribal lords that controlled it, and decided to take it over by brute force. By self-proclaiming itself to be the defender of the territorial as well as ideological frontiers of the new born nation Pakistan Army automatically put itself in alliance with the two above said forces. Proximity to China, India, Iran and the USSR invited US intervention and support and the Army allied itself hence naturally to the US. Since all these three forces are centripetal and are bent upon maintaining the status quo by keeping the country unified, each and every political party that defines itself on the lines of ethnicity, language, culture and religion is viewed by them as an ideological threat. Conversely, a political party that is all three i.e. anti-Feudal, anti-Army and secular in theory as well as practice is automatically considered anti-Pakistan, anti-state and anarchist. This is where we find all the nationalist parties hence. ANP, BNP, Jiayay Sindh and PKMAP all belong in the same category.

The emphasis here would be on ANP since it has the most coherent political manifesto, most enlightened and pragmatic leadership and since it has translated many times, against all odds, its manifesto into votes, public representation and public office. They have been the most condemned of the political parties in Pakistan. Terrorised and jailed by Muslim League and League governments just after independence (a so-called elected government but bearer of Force number one), Ayub Khan (a military dictator), ZAB/PPP (Feudal lord in the guise of socialist activist), MMA (bearers of the pan-Islamic centralising force) they have never been able to make a pronounced political impact but this time it is and it would be different.

During the so-called farcical American/Saudi sponsored Afghan jihad against the Soviet Union, ANP leaders were persecuted by the despotic Mullah laden Zia regime, because they were totally opposed to this radicalising war only in the interests of US, the West and the Pakistan Army. This time round, however, the situation is different. The US is against the ex-jihadis an ANP is, from the beginning, against jihad and jihadis. The convergence of interests is self-evident. Sooner or later overtures would be made to ANP leaders to seek their help in reigning in the Pan-Islamic forces, sponsored by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Libya and UAE, operating in Afghanistan. ANP would find itself, for the first time, as the darling of US. Faiz comes to mind …masnad peh bitahayay jayain gay (... (We the condemned) would be throned)

Strange times these are, especially for US. An artificially held together Pakistan, ruled by Armed forces, Feudals, Bureaucracy and/or Mullahs is what the US has always strived for. Ironically a political party (ANP) totally against all these artificial and sham concepts of ideological nationalities, fraternities based on political theories and religion and hence against Feudals, Army, Bureaucracy and Mullahs at the same time, has come to power in the North Western Pakistan. War makes strange bed-fellows and the US would now have to enter the un-charted waters of polyandry or rather a political orgy perhaps because US already has many bed-fellows in Pakistan. US allying itself with ANP is the strangest but the most plausible proposition.

ANP, hence, has the greatest responsibility of them all. More than PPP and PML (N), that protect the interests of Feudals and Industrialists and not general public and that both support a strong hegemonic centre bent on sucking blood out of provinces. ANP, hence can affect the current political situation in two ways. By pushing forward an agenda of greater provincial autonomy on the lines of an eventual loosely based federation of autonomous provinces and by pushing a powerful land reform programme that would break the back of the existing Feudal ruling class. Unless and until a US assurance of non-intervention in Pakistani political scenario via the armed forces is obtained these two programmes would only by wishful theorising.

With the US economy tumbling down, the US national debt mounting, with the increasing manufacturing and hence wealth-creating jobs going off-shore, with China in ascendancy, with Third world nations such as Iran and Venezuela threatening, with Russia waking up from its slumber of 20 years and demanding its fair share in world resources, the continuing and apparently never-ending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan might prove to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. ANP, has a natural alliance with Russia and in carefully choosing its future alliances or perhaps re-establishing its alliance with Russia, it could find itself in a win-win situation.

Nationalism has waited too long for its first triumph after the war for its renaissance spark and consequent surge and it’s the will of the Providence that that be in Pakistan.

Socialism, the destroyer of the civilisations, took the world under its claws after the Second World War. This win might be the beginning of the end of the anti-nationalist hegemony all round the world. We might after all perhaps be able to enjoy the sweet smell of success in our lifetimes.

Ahmad Hayat
19 February 2008
Toulouse France