The ANP Challenge

..... we pakis will alway remain stuck in an identity crisis and always remain confused about attaining some nebulous religious ideal of a " islamic welfare state".....

Yasser,
Agree, let the ANP make a coalition government with PPP (I think it will be good for the federation). But I think that the PML-N will be more effective in their agenda by sitting in the opposition at the national assembly level. They will galvansie more support and will be better able to force the hand of PPP to restore the deposed justices. I think it will be healthier.

I hope I would be given the credit of suggesting Asfandyar's name for PM in an event outside of chowk even before the election results were out. The political scene in Pakistan is changing so rapidly now that making hard predictions is getting even more difficult.

Before I discuss that in some article or in a post later,I might add that yassar, while attempting to make a good case, has used historical events selectively and has ignored the context of certain political decisions quoted by him.

One thing that Yasser clearly did not see: even the erstwhile Bacha Khan never matched the magnitude of this victory during his heydays in the in Indian politics.
This could possibly be the first ANP/redshrits government in NWFP which would not require JUI or maulana Mufti Mehmood's former party or his his son Fazl Rehman in the coalition.

Asfandyar's no nonsense approach and strong support from the good old leftists in NWFP has given a new lease of political life to the moderate and proud Pukhtoons.

ANP's victories in Swat have sucked the life out of the mullah movement in Swat. A movement which was manufactured by the Pak army to perpetuate a war which the real pukhtoon opposed from its very inception.

Post 48,

"he role of religion in Paki land (and my homeland Pukhtunkhwa) is complex and difficult to brand in terms of the popular dichotomies... in fact, I believe religous attitudes are more psychological and cultural... my most "sinful" relatives/friends become Islamic fundamentalists and literally violently pounce on me if I try to question their belief system... although they might be at the very moment breaking the key tenents of their belief (by drinking alcohol/fornicating etc)!!!"

/////////////

That si whre TNt comes in. Jinnah has reduced islam to the hatred of other religions, he drank gin and ate pork, no problems for him. he still considered himself to be a muslim and fought for a muslim homeland. For jinnah, muslim hiome land simply meant that there are no other religions, simple as that. That is why pakistan has a very violent strain of islam, that is why pakistanis are bombing from london to bangalore.

So taurikhan take it easy, all your relatives are good paki muslims.

HP,

Lol. While you can rightfully take the credit for nominating Asfandyar Wali Khan as the PM, may I suggest that I had written the previous article (predicting ANP's victory in exactly these terms) before 14th of February.

It is not that I have ignored the context, but the fact is that contextual courtesy is never afforded by the ANP fellows either. I can point out several things, but in particular Wali Khan's famous speech in 1990(as the co-leader of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad opposition in the Assembly) where he paid similar left-handed compliments to the Benazir government. The fact is that unlike me he was dead wrong but he got away because no one in the assembly was of his calibre to counter what he had to say.

Agree with the rest of the post as always. But if this is the extent of the magnitude of ANP's victory, then atleast we can breathe easy that they would always be forced to work within the Pakistani nationalist/federation construct.

Re: # 52

Jayp dear boy,

You are a dishonest crook. You've proved this with your latest post.

Not only are you dead-wrong on Jinnah, it was that racist casteist Hindu fascist bigot exclusivist Gandhi who was responsible for introducing the Moplah-style Islam into politics.



Now for the facts:


My point is that there is a much greater link of Gandhi to Moplahs and indeed Jamia Hafsa ... than the two nation theory that you want to malign and has even taken to inventing quotes... you know could care less to bring them together but if someone can so illogically argue and try to link the Islamo-fascist tendencies in a small minority of Muslims to our legtimate stance for Pakistan... then one should point out the obvious links between Gandhi and true Islamic fundamentalist and terrorist movements of South Asia... I do not wish to dwell Gandhi honestly but if this line of argument is taken... should I not point out the facts?


Achyuth Patwardhan, one of the Socialist stalwarts in the Congress, has given a remarkably candid and self critical analysis of the Congress Party vis-a-vis Khilafat: ’It is, however, useful to recognise our share of this error of misdirection. To begin with, I am convinced that looking back upon the course of development of the freedom movement, THE ’HIMALAYAN ERROR’ of Gandhiji’s leadership was the support he extended on behalf of the Congress and the Indian people to the Khilafat Movement at the end of the World War I. This has proved to be a disastrous error which has brought in its wake a series of harmful consequences. On merits, it was a thoroughly reactionary step. The Khilafat was totally unworthy of support of the Progressive Muslims. Kemel Pasha established this solid fact by abolition of the Khilafat. The abolition of the Khilafat was widely welcomed by enlightened Muslim opinion the world over and Kemel was an undoubted hero of all young Muslims straining against Imperialist domination. But apart from the fact that Khilafat was an unworthy reactionary cause, Mahatma Gandhi had to align himself with a sectarian revivalist Muslim Leadership of clerics and maulvis. He was thus unwittingly responsible for jettisoning sane, secular, modernist leadership among the Muslims of India and foisting upon the Indian Muslims a theocratic orthodoxy of the Maulvis. Maulana Mohammed Ali’s speeches read today appear strangely incoherent and out of tune with the spirit of secular political freedom. The Congress Movement which released the forces of religious liberalism and reform among the Hindus, and evoked a rational scientific outlook, placed the Muslims of India under the spell of orthodoxy and religious superstition by their support to the Khilafat leadership. Rationalist leaders like Jinnah were rebuffed by this attitude of Congress and Gandhi. This is the background of the psychological rift between Congress and the Muslim League’.

and

’Since the Khilafat agitation, things have changed and it has been one of the many injuries inflicted on India by the encouragement of the Khilafat crusade, that the inner Muslim feeling of hatred against ’unbelievers’ has sprung up, naked and unashamed, as in years gone by’.

and

A terrible and gruesome fallout of the disastrous Khilafat experiment of Mahatma Gandhi was the Moplah Rebellion in Malabar District in 1921. According to the Report of the ENQUIRY COMMITTEE OF SERVANTS OF INDIA SOCIETY, the number of Hindus murdered by Moplah Muslims was 1500, the number of Hindus forcibly converted 20,000 and the value of property looted about Rs three crore. When the national and local leaders appealed to the virulently anti-Hindu Moplah Muslims in the name of Mahatma Gandhi to follow the ways of peace and non-violence, they replied bluntly with Islamic fervour: ’GANDHI IS A KAFIR, HOW CAN HE BE OUR LEADER?’ Dr Anne Besant declared: ’The Moplah Muslim marauders murdered and plundered abundantly, killed or drove away all Hindus who would not apostatize. Somewhere about 100,000 people were driven from their homes with nothing but the clothes they had on, stripped of everything’. She also accused all the Khilafat religious preachers for all this terrible atrocities. J Campbell, chief of the Intelligence Department, Government of India, held the Khilafat leaders squarely responsible for inciting racial hatred resulting in Moplah carnage.

http://www.newstodaynet.com/2006sud/06aug/2208ss1.htm

Mahatma Gandhi’s attempt to harness the feeling for the cause of national independence backfired and led to the uprising in Kerala known as the Moplah Rebellion. It took the British several months to put it down at the cost of thousands of lives.



Moplahs were very much part of the grand Khilafat Movement that Gandhi was spearheading and Gandhi kept apologising for them


The Dravidian Moplahs had directed their revolt with class venom against some Aryan high-caste Hindus with property as well as Britishers: Brahmanical elements tried to use that to spark a crisis in Hindu-Muslim relations all over India. Gandhi tried to hold a balance: like the U.S. press and the Negro nationalists who read it he stressed that the Moplah uprising could be made part of a united drive for independence by Indians of all sects.But he was also aware of the pan-Islamic dimension: in a December 1921 call to the British to suspend their attacks against the Moplahs, he was to observe that the Moplahs saw themselves as fighting for a religion with methods they considered religious: Yogesh Chadha, Rediscovering Gandhi (London: Century 1997) p. 254.


And lets not forget the Tehreek-e-Hijrat Fatwa that Gandhi’s right hand man Azad gave to Muslims which gave Muslims two options "JEHAD" or "HIJRAT".

The Muslim Ulema, thinkers and activists called for the boycott of foreign goods and non-cooperation with the British government. Meetings were organised in order to rally the masses to support these issues. The meetings were organised under the banner of Mo’tamar al-Ansar (The Workers Conference) and various newspapers such as Al-Hilal of Maualana Abul Kalam Azad and The Comrade of Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar. Both Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad and Maulana Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar were put behind bars for publishing anti-British articles in their newspapers. The latter spent four years in prison between 1911 and 1915CE.


The allegiance of the Muslim intelligentsia of India at that to the Khilafah is unquestionable. Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad summed up their view when he wrote in his newspaper al-Hilal on 6th November 1912 that the Ottoman Sultans possessed the only sword which Muslims had for their protection. Insofar as the “caliphate was essentially a religious integration of the shari’a”, it became “necessary by revelation, is of God’s institution and that obedience to its authority is farz, or positively commanded”.


The Khilafat Movement


In September 1919, Maulana Muhammad Ali and his brother Shaukat Ali, together with Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, and Hasrat Mohani, started a new organization, the Khilafat Movement (1919-1924). Their avowed aim was to use whatever leverage they had to protect the Khilafah. They organized Khilafat Conferences in several northern Indian cities. It is noticeable that the scholars and activists that were part of the Khilafat movement came from different schools of thought and backgrounds, for example Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was known to be a ‘ghayr taqleedi’ (non-taqleedi – who believed Taqleed to Mazahib is prohibited) and Maulana Mahmood Hasan was Deobandi who are followers of the Hanafi Mazhab yet they were united in the objective of working for the maintenance of the Khilafah.


In 1919, the Bombay Khilafat Committee agreed on two important organisational goals: “first, to urge the retention of the temporal powers of the Sultan of Turkey as Caliph, and second to ensure his continued suzerainty over the Islamic holy places.”

Delivering the presidential address at the Calcutta meeting of the Bengal Provincial Khilafat Conference in 1920, Maulana Azad discussed the importance of Khilafah he declared, “the purpose of this institution was to organise and lead the Muslim community in the right path, to establish justice, to bring about peace, and to spread God’s word in the world. For all this it was absolutely necessary for the caliph to possess temporal power”. Maulana Azad had no doubt that “without an Imam, their lives were un-Islamic and that they would be damned after death”.


Maulana Azad published a book in 1920 called Masla-e-Khilafat (The Issue of Khilafah), he stated: “Without the Khilafah the existence of Islam is not possible, the Muslims of India with all their effort and power need to work for this”.

In the same book page 176 Maulana Azad said, “There are two types of ahkam shariah, the first is related to the individual like the commands and prohibitions, the fara’id (obligations) and wajibat in order to perfect oneself. The second is not related to the individual but is related to the Ummah, nation, collective obligations and state politics like the conquering of lands, political and economic laws”.

According to Peter Hardy, Maulana Azad believed that, “The Muslim who would separate religion and politics for Muslims is an apostate who works silently”.


The loss of political power in India and the threat posed by a combination of forces to the temporal authority of the caliph, was so worrisome for the leaders of the Muslim community that some of them felt compelled to issue fatwas ‘in favour of migration (hijra)’ from India.


Maulana Abul Kalam Azad issued a fatwa which was published in the daily Ahl-e-Hadith of Amritsar on 30 July 1920. In his fatwa he urged Hijrat from India as an alternative to non-cooperation with the British. (YLH’s note: Was the Hijaz Born Azad a "Wahabi"... note "Ahle-Hadith)

Maulana Abdul Bari’s fatwa said, “every Muslim residing here should adopt non-cooperation but if (that is) impossible, should proceed for hijrat”. Maulana Shaukat Ali issued a statement on behalf of the Central Khilafat Committee, “expressing the hope that all dedicated Muslims would stay in India and work for the non-cooperation. Only if it did not succeed would they consider resorting to hijrat”. The impact of the fatwa was electrifying and thousands of Muslims preferred to leave the Dar al harb of India where their religious rights symbolized in the position of the Turkish Caliph was being infringed.


And most amazing was the fact that Gandhi’s encouragement led to Deobandi ulema creating the Jamiat ulema Hind ... which in its numerous forms and heads plagues South Asia even today... and all these groups are spin offs of the same.


....

So the violent Islam you see has its roots squarely in Gandhi and his stupid ideology... though people are too naive and ignorant of history to accept the facts.

Re: # 48

What basic sources of Pakistan's creation? These basic sources were invented by the likes of Mufti Mahmood and Maulana Maudoodi who had nothing to do with the creation of Pakistan but instead were its most vehement opponents.

I suggest you read some history instead of accepting the lies that are shoved down our throats by both Pakistani and Indian myth-makers posing as historians.

Re: # 41

"pushtoon nationalists demand equal rights within pakistan as per the original plan of the country."

I agree with Adam Khan here. And I believe that Wali Khan and Bacha Khan's support for Fatima Jinnah amply proved that ...

My point is that Asfandyar Wali Khan is finally ready to consistently drive that point home. I am still rooting for Asfandyar as PM.

Manto 54,

Gandhi introduced the universal and humane aspects of hinduism to politics. In response Jinnah introduced only one aspect, the kafir aspect into politics.

I explain the dominance of pakistanis in global terrorism as due to this TNT-islam. That is why no other islamic country could match pakistan in promoting terrorism.

Can you give an alternate explanation. Why are pakistanis involved in london bombings, why was the number three in 9/11 found in the house of a serving pak army major, why did a pak prisoner released from india become a pak hero and went on to kill daniel pearl.

My theory explains it all. It is your turen now. Do not blame the US and afghanistan, touch up a core pak social value and explain it.

Dost Mittar,

There are two things here.

Pakistan's current "caretaker" Prime Minister and stalwart of the PML-Q Party is Mohammadmian Soomro... he is the grandson of none other than Allah Bux Soomro, a figure of almost Bacha Khan's stature in Sindh. So I don't see why we can't accept someone like Asfandyar Wali Khan who has a much greater intellectual stature.

Secondly... if Bacha Khan's grandson becomes the Prime Minister of Pakistan, he will have to make televised addresses to the nation with Jinnah's portrait in the background and will have to pay homage to the father of the nation on 23rd March, 14th August, 11th September and 25th December.

Jinnah's numero uno fan will not be too disappointed with that outcome.

Re: # 57

Mian Jayp,

Are you bonkers? Have you read about Gandhi's Islamic boys the Moplahs and what they did to Hindus like you? You had to run with your dhotis in your hands barely escaping the anal-rape. These Moplahs had nothing to do with the two nation theory... just like the terrorists and fanatics in NWFP have nothing to do with the two nation theory. They actually believe in all or nothing theory ... and it was Gandhi who introduced these fanatics into politics whether you like it or not... so if you want to blame anyone blame Gandhi.. the father of terrorism in South Asia.

Even otherwise there was nothing humane about Gandhi's ideology and you know it. He was a racist casteist Hindu fascist who believe in the varna caste system and believed that Black people in South Africa were too inferior and possibly subhuman.

So Mahatma Gandhi was probably as humane as Adolf Hitler except Mahatma Gandhi never had the means of becoming a fuhrer thankfuly.

manto,

"The Dravidian Moplahs", my foot and that is your parwardhan. I live in the place where moplaah rebellion took place, Malappuram district of kerala.

Long before muhammad was born, kerala had trade with the arbas. One kerala king, heard about mohammad, went to saudi, converted to islam and spread the religion in kerala.

That is why kerala muslims are different from the north indian muslims, to begin with they have no idea about the bastardised language called urdu.

"dravidian muslims"....some patwardhan talking about moplaahs of keral.

By the way when did aryans come to kerala and become land owning class. Anything printed is not correct, and do not quote it. What ever you post should pass teh common sense test, it should be abl;e to explain and illuminate the present.

With all the anti hindu feelings of teh muslims, long before 1947, how did kerala has teh largest muslim percentage population, and some of the leading marxist leaders are mulsims.

Explain that YLH.

PS: Perhaps you read a thing or two about the British Muslims (many of whom are of Indian origin).... their extremist organizations explicitly are anti-Jinnah and anti-TNT.

Read a bit about Hizb-e-Tahrir and its Khilafat ideology. You will find remarkable similarities between their idea of Muslim global identity and Gandhi's Muslim followers.

Re: # 60

Well what Moplahs did to your sorry ass back then is a fact of history.

As for Kerala's moderate Muslims... even today it is represented by the same Muslim League that gave India the two nation theory.

Yet another hole in your ignorant little theories.

59. Thanks mano,

so you agree that my TNT version of islam explains teh pak reality.

You are jinnahfile, that in itself is bad, no one should be above criticism, even a self claimed prophet. Well that is a rational approach, the hallmark of education. I recognise that in your case you are only schooled, you can only quote others, and when it comes to adding some of your own words, it reduces to

"You had to run with your dhotis in your hands barely escaping the anal-rape."

I unedstand that you are a lawer in pakistan and those of your original words should be from teh pak court systems.

YLH, it is people like you that degrade pakistan. When an educated person stoops so low, it is tragedy, an un-educated person can use such words when cornered, but from an educated pakistani, a foreign educated pakistani, it fills the poor of unducated of pakistan with hopelessness.

YLH,

Once again, YLH, do not betray your schooling, write a sentence of your own, something meaningful and not this, when you are not quoting wolp[ert, patwardhan or ayesha jalal. Having learned koran by rote in a madrassa you may not know how to write a sentence, it has to be something you learned by rote, wolpert, patawrdhan you name it.

Please write one sentence different from what is below


"Well what Moplahs did to your sorry ass back then is a fact of history."