With or Without Musharraf – A Mohajir’s Perspective

Salimbhai,

(There is a civil war looming in the future between the religious fanatics and the “democratic” elites in Pakistan. )

I think that is being melodramatic. The realty is that worst comes to worst Pakistan will just muddle from one crisis to another without imploding or exploding.

(We should support neither the self-righteous burqa-clad vigilantes nor their more “fun-loving” opponents)

I am really disappointed to hear that you of all people do not want to support fun-loving people.

(To this day they remain “stranded” in a hostile country and shamelessly abandoned by the very country which they supported. )

Here I agree with you. Pakistan should honourably repatriate these people, who consider themselves Pak citizens. The argument that doing so will tip the demographic balance is not only immoral but also nonsensical. They are only 250,000 of them and they will not disturb the equilibrium even in Karachi, let alone the whole of Pakistan.

(We should stress the obvious – uplifting of our poor citizens in Karachi and Hyderabad. We need to improve our cities’ infrastructure, education, health, public safety, law enforcement, and economies. )

Good advice. And incidentally applicable to the whole of South Asia.

(We have to build institutions that are based on secularism)

Wait till Maulana Urstruly (pbuh) hears the S-word.

Regards

Salim Mian

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

You made it once again on front page...............I am so happy for you. Wow!!!

Right now I am busy, I will read your article indepth and will discuss these issues with you latter............

I am extremely happy for you.............

Now, some people will go all bananas............out of their shear jealousy........

You proved once again that you are brilliant writer...........

take care

Re: # 3 Farzana Versey:

Farzana: It is amusing to see you have just popped up here -once in awhile!
Now why don`t you write in major Indian newspapers like Asianage, Hindu,Times of India etc or at least in OutlookIndia? There are so many nowadays!Your views have a great deal of insight and why waste time elsewhere! Hope you are not on the black list of RSS and Shiv Sena fascist-thugs!

Kamath

Salim:

I feel cheated by the headline, although you have chosen an important topic and it appears at an important time. I have had to research much of this (cannot share that here!) recently, therefore I can only say that your statement, ``Kashmir is not our problem. It already has democratic institutions and self-government. If for some God-forbidden reason, it becomes a part of Pakistan, Kashmir can become a problem for us`` can have far-reaching consequences and meanings.

Kashmir can and is already a huge problem for Pakistan as it has unfortunately become for India. I think the whole of PoK (or AK as they call it in Pak) is a refugee land.

The mohajirs you talk about have suffered the most due to the policies of Bhutto. I am forced to requote my own words, ``India lost out on Jinnah and Pakistan has chosen to lose him`` (from ``Mohammed li Jinnah Haazir Ho)

[We can look to Singapore as a model for our evolution. I mention Singapore, not because it resembles Lahore as someone has written before, but because it symbolizes progress, diversity, confidence, discipline, coexistence, and modernity.]

It is a dictatorial democracy. I find it curious that you use it as an example. Multi-diversity is like a thali, not a gourmet meal. Too much messing about required. Musharraf is a `modernist`, but trapped. And therein lies the problem.

PS: Good to see you back on FP! Won`t be interacting, so best for the interacts. Just be a gentleman and don`t keep count :-)

Salim Mian

Great read.

General Musharaf may be a better choice for Pakistani people , if, you compare HIM to BB and Nawaz Sharif...........................

But, only IF, musharaf resigns his chief of army staff position and recognize himself as democratic President Of Pakistan.

This man has some good qualities , no doubt about it. Then again, Pakistan shouldn`t be hijacked by army dictators always.............

Yes, I agree , our bad luck started when these greedy, cruel and corrupt feudal lords of West Pakistan supported Ayub Khan( although, the man is my far relative from my father side).............

Fall of Pakistan started when they supported Ayub`s dictatorship against Miss Fatima Jinnah
My hero right from my childhood..................



These baigharats supported corrupt Ayub and open an unending door to everlasting martial law...............quite tragic...............

Also, you are right Kashmir should not be included in Pakistan. Pakistan has enough of it`s own problems to solve.....................

But, my stand on this issue is very clear.........no compromise.

All the Kashmiris should be given an equal right to vote under fair referendum or elections.

They should be given three choices...

#1:- If they wish to have independent state, called (independent state of Kashmir).
or
#2:- If they wish to be with India.
or
#3:- If they wish to be with Pakistan.

In any case, whatever majority decides, all of us should respect that decision.

They have as much right to their freedom as anyone of us has...............

At the end.....

My pick for Next PM of Pakistan should be Imran Khan...........

Will discuss more latter as time permits...................

Salim
Mohajir problem has been taken care of by demographics, I believe they are already a minority in Karachi, as time goes by there will be more immigrants pouring in, panjabis,sindhis,pathans etc. mohajirs will be reduced to tiny minority.

Besides Salim Mian

I do not like this term mohajir for Karachiitis...........

If we go by this logic , my grand mother was mohajir, my mother was mohajir from Jammu Kashmir...................

care to share.

Salim

I think the on-going battle is between Islamization (Talibanization) & the Secularization. It cuts across the ethnic divisions of Mohajir, Sindhi, Pashtun, Baluchi, Punjabi.

As has been demonstrated by the Lawyers uprising. This uprising is not only for the restoration of the rightful role of the Judiciary but also for the rule of Law - which translates into army going back into its cantonements.

Having said that, MQM has already saved Karachi from the fangs of Mullas (Ji, JUI, etc etc). The old Mohajir Quami Movement is, hopefully, now a history. The newer version of MQM has all the right policies & the right vision.

At times, I wonder, why MQM, PPP & ANP are always at daggers drawn. They have the same progressive secular outlook.

As for the PML of any colour or hue, it is nothing more than Talibans without the beard.

NHK

Dear Salim mian,

Your historical insights on issues are – as always – very interesting. Your “vision” for the future of Pakistan is mere wishful thinking, of course! (It is a bit like start asking people to change their basic nature. Good thoughts which always remain exactly that.)

The reality with Pakistan is – and has forever been, how to reconcile the underlying concept of desi racism from the past – that Muslims are to be considered exclusive and being a numerical minority in the subcontinent, “need” to be treated as more than one person per vote – how to reconcile all of that with all that high-bro talks of equality of man and “progressive” liberalism by the self-proclaimed “enlightened” folks!

The problem with accepting exclusivity at one level is – it makes it virtually impossible to retain or claim honesty at any other level.

It is like jumping from a cliff – the deluded individual who does so may think that he or she can stop at just the right height to get the “best” of both worlds - and float at the ideal level of nirvana.

In reality, the descent continues till at some point, one hits hard rock!

At which point, all one can say is:

“Ouch, what a numbskull I was to take the plunge!”

The mohajirs followed the “sabj baagh” shown by a despicable charlatan. Some mohajirs did so by choice – most were simply victims of the circumstances. I sympathize with the victims.

The Mushy – or others like him in khaki mold – are Pakistan’s destiny in the foreseeable future because the original line of thinking – that it was okay to take by force by a minority what “they” think is rightfully theirs – has been sanctified through countless repetitions and the demagogue who pushed that original line has become a sacred cow - a ``never to be questioned`` part of the thought process of the Pakistani intelligentsia and its population.

The nation which has prided itself in the past and by-and-large continues to pride itself in the present on having broken symbols of its very own heritage that were handed to it by history - what an irony that the same nation has enshrined the most damaging demagogue of the past century as the idol which must be reverred and never be questioned! One does not know whether to laugh or feel bad for this crowd!

The mullahs and the ninja ladies are merely the tools – the riff-raff of the moment to be discarded as soon as they have served their purpose!

Salim miaN,

To the manifesto part of your write up, all I can say is Aameen, brother!

abay, tu siyasat meiN kyouN nahiN aata, beh? :-)

Great work Salim!

Only a real Kemal Ataturk can save Pak, not the photocopy of him. He should, with the help of the army, bring enlightenment, free thinking, equality (between all adults), secularism (between not only the sects of Islam but between all ethnicities and religions). For bringing true secularism to Pak he should import 20 millions hindoos and a few christians from across the world !!!

My opinion is, democracy alone can`t save Pak. Sorry to say that, really! Now Indians (hindoos and muslims both) will not accept them back otherwise pipedream of reunification with India would have been a good idea. I agree, it should be left to the romantic fools for the time being.

Samar

Hello Kamath:

Those are kind words...or are they??:) Please check my ilog for an update; it seems unfair to flood another`s article with personal info.

Salim: You have articulated your points very well. I agree (not that you need my endorsement) with the most of what you say except I don’t believe that we, as a nation, should look towards Singapore as a model, because Singapore is 80% Chinese, 10% Malay, and less than 8% Indian. Indians in Pakistan will be limited to owning little corner stores or pubs at best. I am sure that won’t be acceptable to “mohajirs”. But then again, I assume you want the Singaporean model applied to Karachi, and not to NWFP or Punjab. The religious and ethnic harmony can only be attained in an open civil society, and not where dialogue is discouraged and rule by religious or dictatorial edicts is a norm. Although, the nation was created in the name of religion, but religion so far has brought nothing but misery and misfortune to the land.

Good job!

There are five inaccuracies in this article.......

1. Pakistan has not been dominated by Punjabis, alone........It has been dominated by Punjabis and Muhajirs together......It is basically a country with the Punjabis, due to their large population base, and Muhajirs due to their large intellectual base have ruled over Sindhis and Baluchis (and too some extent Pathans)

2. Muhajirs are, in no way, exploited in Pakistan.......If one looks at statistics, rather than rhetoric, one discovers the following: Muhajirs constitute 8% or so of the country`s population, yet their langauge is the national language of the country.......They have the third most powerful political party in Pakistan.......They are by a gigantic margin, the wealthiest ethnic group in Pakistan.......There per capita income is many times that of the average Punjabi.........They are the only community, which has disproportionately higher representation in the Army and beurecracy in relation to their total population.........Pakistan military has had far higher of Muhajir generals than their % of population........The literacy rate of Muhajirs is around twice that of Punjabis, four times that of Sindhis and nearly eight times that of Baluchis........Living in Karachi and Hyderabad, Muhajirs are the only ethnic group, which as a whole, has access to urban facilities - running water, education, electricity etc.......

In every form and manner, Muhajirs have the highest living standard of any ethnic group in Pakistan.........not to mention representation in govt. in relation to total population......

3. Karachi`s demoraphics are slowly changing and it is far too multi-cultural to be considered solely a Muhajir city........for example, Karachi has the highest Pathan population of any city in Pakistan (probably in the world).........

4. Muhajirs traditional enemies have not been Punjabis........They have been Sindhis......All the quotas put on Muhajirs in govt. service etc. were by Bhutto and Sindhis........In fact, Muhajirs and Punjabis have always been allies against other provinces (including today)........

5. By a long margin, the average Muhajir in Pakistan is significantly better off than his/her cousin who stayed in India........Indian Muslims, as a whole, are now at the bottom of the Indian development ladder........While Muhajirs are at the top, not only by Pakistani standards, but by South Asian standards........Karachi is one of the wealthiest cities in all of South Asia.....

Based on the above, while one can agree that Baluchis, Sindhis etc. have been exploited in Pakistan........There is nothing to suggest that Muhajirs have been..........It must be stated that Muhajirs success is primarily due to their own efforts (and due to the fact that they were the most educated group in Pakistan)........

The correct strategy for Muhajirs is to spread their politics all over Pakistan.......Not to withdraw from it........Had the MQM not been attached with an ethnic label, it would have spread all over Pakistan as a party of middle-class educated progressive people.........However, Altaf Bhai turned to college-level militant politics, instead of towards national politics........MQM is trying hard to become a national party, and might well succeed.......

salim bay - tu tau baRa achcha likhta hai yaar