Talibanization of Pakistan

An eyeopener indeed! At least for us Indians, who were used to observing this monstrous cactus of which you have dug out the seed. A virulent green seed of disorientation and imbroglio!

Now, get ready for the onslaught.

Samar

An eyeopener indeed! At least for us Indians, who have got used to observing this dreadful cactus of which you have dug out and shown the seed. A virulent green seed of disorientation and imbroglio!

Now, you better get ready for the onslaught.

Samar

so what are ur suggestions for the reversal?

You assume that Musharraf was in principle against Mullahs. Funny thing is, Musharraf got his legitimacy from Mullahs. Its not without reason that MMA is known as Military Mullah Alliance.

The only reason he took a U turn on Taliban issue was he needed legitimacy from US for his rule and that U turn made that possible for him. We can all remember how Musharraf literally begged Bill Clinton to make a stopover at Pakistan and then BIll Clinton gave a speech to be televised directly on democracy to the nation.

Musharraf will never curtail the Mullahs. He needs them to lend legitimacy to his rule.

Re: # 3, ally,

It`s not a Lahore bus or a Samjhota Express which could be stopped or reversed. As I said it`s a poisonous cactus which will go on swelling and than die of its own poison. I`m afraid there is no cure. All Indians are worried and feel sorry for Pakis but what can we do but to look on with sorrow.

Samar

This article, the one on Taslima Nasreen, and any number of others should open the eyes of even human bats. A reader doesn`t have to be as smart as Ustaad Zeemax or Khamkhwa bhaijan to see through the gameplan. This site has become a tool in the relentless hands of Indians and Hindus intent upon demeaning and destroying everything Pakistan and Islam are and stand for.

If championing the cause of global shirk, Hinduism, and Ahmedism has become the official goal of Chowk, that should be clearly stated.

There is no doubt that there is a very strong Military-Mullah-Alliance but that is not the complete picture. One side of the picture is that there is a corrupt-to-the-core ruling class who inherited power from the British colonial powers. Initially, it was mostly feudal lords of Muslim league but over the decades this class has diversified itself. It controls Pakistan thru a culture of forced corruption and malaise. Now it is not a class but a mindset; a mindset that they inherited from their colonial masters where general populace is nothing but subhumans who needs to be controlled and exploited throu corruption, coercion, and by force. While military provides muscle to this class, `sirkari` moulvis control masses using religion; bureaucrats help keep general populace under thumb through corruption, inefficiency and malaise; teachers help corrupt young minds and make them insensitive to corruption and immorality. Media is used as a very effective tool to weaken the family values and family structure. Police - less said the better. So on and so forth...

The other side of the picture is the general masses who are put in a strait jacket by the vices created by this corrupt ruling elite. Most of them are without education and live by the moral code that their faith has given them and taught to them by their ancestors. But the educated among this class looked at this situation and slowly created a class of people who are developing moral backbones to stand upto the tyranny and only now they are able to see it into the eyes. This phenomenon is called Talibanization; literally meaning the ``Edification`` of the society. Through this edification a larger number of subalterns are begining to become self aware and they are beggining to realize how they are being kept from their moral self as individual and as society and nation. Do not forget that it is this segment of society that laid down the lives of over 1 million of their own to make this country and nation. The trauma of migration, genocide, and economic handicap that followed pacified their fervor for a while; because they couldn`t afford to create another mayhem but it is unwise to think that they have lost their moral direction. Be aware that this moral dirction has been injected into the genes of generations over the course of 1000 years of history of Islam in subcontinent. Thinking that this moral compass can be snatched away by some corrupt renegades who just happen to have more guns, is ridiculous.

Unfortunately, the time for a magna carta like social contract between these masses and the corrupt ruling elite has passed. The Constitution of 1973 provided a wonderful opportunity for all parties to reach an amicable and just social contract but the corrupt ruling elite in their collosal arrogance has completely raped the Constitution thru military force, corruption, and lawlessness.

In the past 7 years, both, the corrupt ruling class and the Edifiers i.e. Talibans have realized the fact that ``GHee seedhee ungli se nahiN nikle ga``. No matter what happens, but there is only one outcome of the conflict and that outcome is the manifest destiny of Democratic Islamic Emirates of Pakistan. Inshallah. Those who laid down 1 million lives in this cause are now ready to sacrifice whatever it takes.

A news item

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007 04 17 story_17-4-2007_pg13_1

Re: # 4
I don’t presume that Musharraf is against Mullahs on any principle. I was talking about the time he emerged on the scene as “Chief Executive” of Pakistan. He tried to establish his anti-Mullah credentials at that time and dropped the effort soon when he realized the power of Mullahs. As for using Mullahs to gain legitimacy, Musharraf is not unique in that regard. Every ruler of Pakistan has flirted with religious folks to tap into their influence. Even someone like ZA Bhutto who seemingly had secular tendencies was guilty of appeasing Mullahs.

Musharraf was given the task, which he accepted, to curtail the influence of religious organizations by USA. Either he hasn’t done anything about that or he has failed. A lot of other factors went against Musharraf as well in this regard. For instance, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were used by Mullahs to fuel the religious fervor of masses. Whatever the case and the causes, the outcome is that religious establishment enjoys the kind of influence in Pakistan today that is quite unprecedented. The point I am trying to make in my article is that the provision of necessary ingredients for Talibanization of Pakistan are not a recent phenomenon. Religious establishment’s dominance was always on cards since the birth of Pakistan.

What you are seeing is the working out of unresolved issues in the concept of ``Islamic democracy`` .

Hope so, Khurram. ``Islamic democracy`` is a wonderful concept. It came naturally to all great social thinkers such as Iqbal, Jinnah, and Zulfie Bhutto. It will also appeal enormously to all Modernist Muslims who, like the rest, Muslims and nonMuslims, have to struggle with the decidedly flawed construct of democracy. Once Islamic democracy is put in place, it will be a breakthrough.

Re: # 11

...and the whole world would embrace democracy and ...ISLAM.

Aameen

Samar

Liaqat Ali Khan was a mediocre politician with little vision or political backbone to stand for what is right. He was a an opportunists who had lived his entire political life under long shadows of Jinnah that he may have resented, thus his desperate bid to find a place in Pak politics.

Democracy does not need religion, what is needs is people willing to tolerate and respect differing opinions, virtues non-existent in any faith based ideologies.

Talibanization started only post Saudization of Pakistan, to say it started with objective resolution is incorrect and serves to gloss over Pak state rental policies.

Mr. Aamer’s article is timely and thought provoking although he hasn’t made a very strong case against the recent high-handedness of the Lal Masjid’s maulanas. I am not really very knowledgeable about the Pakistani politics but if what the writer has written in the following is true, it shows the spinelessness of the law makers in Pakistan.

“After such proclamation, the role of the chosen representatives of people was doomed to become irrelevant and so it did. This was quite evident last year when the government of Pakistan tried to pass Women Protection Bill thru the parliament. Overwhelming part of the debate in parliament and in the media that preceded the passage of the bill revolved not around whether the bill actually protected the women or not but whether it was consistent with Islam or not. The government, eventually, had to go to a select committee of Ulema, who were not elected by the people of Pakistan, to get the certificate of compliance before passing the bill.”

By giving a free hand to the maulanas, the government invited the lawlessness of these Khudai Faujdars recently in Islamabad. If it is allowed to continue longer, it will be a clear-cut invitation to civil war. When religion is introduced in statecraft, there will inevitably be chaos and confusion.

Thanks Aamer for contributing your valuable piece.

Mohammad Gill

Percieved (and to some extent, actual) Talibanization of islamic countries in this region is all part of a grand strategy of the USA to control the oil resources of the region. Countries would be targetted one by one.

Each milestone is but one step forward in the eminently understandable long term US plan for the region -- Control over the oil resources. And this can, in the opinion of the think tank, be easily achieved by balkanisation of the Iran-Iraq-Pakistan region. Small states with oil resources can be ``managed`` effectively (the Kuwait model). Other small & medium states without any significant oil resources can surely be relied upon to maintain a hostile environment with constant mini wars amongst themselves which threaten to spill over into and engulf the ``oil holders`` which would be ``duly protected`` by the US and its stooges Pakistan(definitely) , India(may be). For a price.

Therefore, the next step would be balkanization of the region. Whether Kurdistan becomes independent first or Balochistan is what remains to be seen. The order is immaterial. What matters is that there is an order in the chaos. The US is slowly and surely inching towards its long term goals. Increasing fundamentalism in Pakistan would only provide a basis(excuse) to attack Pakistan a few months after Musharraf is gone. All the better if the fundamentalists are seen to have a hand in Mushy`s exit.

The writing on the wall is slowly becoming clearer as the drama unfolds.

Re: # 15, okhla99,

Very correct. Possibilities for India are not too bright either. As soon as Pak drifts away from USA and consequently disintegrates India will be in a long term trouble. So a fairly strong and progressive Pak is India`s ticket to prosperity and it should fight even USA for Pak. But who will induce Pak to see reason and stop nonsense with India.

Samar