Hegemony of the Ruling Elite in Pakistan

Dear Gymnosophist ( #175): Good to see you back. You have made very interesting linear extrapolation based on only one data point and zero degree of freedom in your post. When I wrote about cow as the national symbol( #166), I was not thinking about far reaching consequences but merely suggesting cow to be the most recognizable animal for most Pakistanis and therefore a consensus choice as opposed to the personal choice of Markhor by someone in the decision making position. Although I believe that your post meant more of a cheerful and amusing perspective, let me also make few comments in the same amusing way unless few find some interesting information here.

There are two types of national symbols: 1) Those which are kept in high esteem by the people, e.g., flags, constitution and monuments like Taj Mahal, Pyramids, Angkor Wat, Borbuddur etc. 2) Those which are found in abundance and play a significant role in the culture and identity of the people, e.g., cotton for Uzbekistan, rice for Thailand and, yes, mango pickles for Andhara Pardesh. The symbolic cow belongs to the later class.

Let me share few other observations about cows. They have been important symbols in Egyptian Civilization as well as bull in Mithraism in the Roman Empire. The domesticated animals have been important since the earliest civilization and people of Eurasia developed immunity to cow-bearing diseases to which native Americans have no immunity and the resulting decimation of native Americans by small pox and other diseases when they came in contact with Europeans. The cows have played very important role in the history of mankind( BTW, one of the best books of last three years is “ Guns, Germs and Steel” by Jarred Diamond deals with the issues of wealth and poverty of nations from nature and anthropomorphic point of view including “cow effect” and is much better reading than “The Wealth and Poverty of Nations” by David Landes). So here is my defense of bovine legalization.

The cow dung used in the sub-continent for energy comes mostly from buffaloes because they out number cows by a wide margin. Moreover, McDonalds will have no interest in dry, tasteless and hard-to-tenderize buffalo meat. They may not be even interested in the bovine species found in the sub-continent for the similar reasons. Both India and Pakistan will have tough time developing large-scale beef industry of Iowa/ Nebraska bovine species type because most of the cultivated land is used to grow food for people and can not be spared for animal-feed. It is one of the most inefficient business to be in where 3500 calories of animal feed produces 100 calories equivalent of beef. Additionally, cows are responsible for fouling up a large part of water resources for human consumption( another good read on this topic is “Beyond Beef” by Jeremy Rifkin).

Well, so much about an irrelevant topic, for your amusement only. That is why I hope to see this topic folded as soon as possible by you or some one else.

Regards,

Sameer

Ref SameerJB #: 177

You say {You have made very interesting linear extrapolation based on only one data point and zero degree of freedom in your post.}

Zero degree of freedom? ZERO? No way! Like all good philosophers, I left the extrapolations as exercises to disciples. Obviously, you have chosen NOT to do your homework!

Let us look at the sociological side of the equation. The Brahmins, unaccustomed to eating meat, will attempt to swallow 8 oz. portions of prime rib offered during the Vedic sacrifices rather than chew them, and choke to death. With the wholesale death of the Brahmins, the Dalits will take power in India completely changing the sociological and political make-up of the country.

Economics. As soon as the villages of India lose cow dung patties as a source of domestic fuel, where will they turn to natural gas? India will have to import it from the Baloch gas fields and from Bangladesh! India will soon be in debt to Pakistan and Bangladesh!

Religion. The Hindus of India will realize that the Vedas only mention Agni, Varuna, Indra and Surya as their gods. The result is that Ram will be forgotten, the Ram Janam Bhoomi movement in Ayodhya will fizzle out, Hindus will actually move out of Ayodhya ashamed to be even associated with an interloper like Ram, and the Babri Masjid will be re-erected by Indian Muslims with the assistance of Saudi money.

All over India, Hindus will start demolishing temples dedicated to Shiva and the various incarnations of Vishnu and in their place build temples to Agni (Fire). Hindus will become indistinguishable from Zorastrians.

Indian Politics. The party with the election symbol of the cow will be denounced as Pakistani agents and lose soundly.

Regional Politics. India will attack Nepal to eliminate archaic forms of Hinduism still practiced there. Hindus will demolish temples in Nepal too, Indian history books will be re-written and all Muslim invaders will be glorified for the destruction of Hindu temples. Mahmud of Ghazni and of Ghauri will be held up as reformers of Hindu religion as opposed to invaders who broke down idols and looted temples.

Pakistan will have to search for new heroes. Pakistanis will discover Sindhi, Punjabi and Rajput warriors of the pre-Islamic era. Pakistan will have to rename its missiles. With Ghauri no longer acceptable because he is a hero to Hindus, Pakistan will have to re-name its missiles, and will choose to honor Prithvi Raj Chauhan by naming its missile Prithvi.

India will be deeply in debt to Pakistan because of natural gas imports. Pakistan will be flush with cash and spend money on guns AND butter. India will not be able to maintain its bloated army. India will offer Kashmir to Pakistan in return for debt forgiveness. Thus, the Kashmir problem will be solved.

Transportation. There will be cows wandering around in the airfields in Pakistan rendering aircraft movements hazardous. Indian airports, on the other hand, will no longer have cows wandering onto the runways. PIA will use Amritsar as its sole landing point for all flights to Pakistan and high-speed transit systems between Amritsar and Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi will be built. The Punjab border will disappear in due course with the massive and continuous movements of international passengers across the border.

Regarding the minor issue of buffalo meat versus beef, aren’t South Asians the most accomplished adulterators? As if the vegetarians could tell the difference between USDA Prime and the tough stringy beef and buffalo meat of India!

So, my dear Sameer, all you need is imagination to see where cow protection can take you. So, declare the cow to be the National Animal of Pakistan and protect it. It will truly change the future of South Asia.

Class dismissed!

SameerJB et al,

Pardon my ignorance (of Urdu?), but what is Markhor?

Thanks.

Raj

Dear Layman (#181): I believe Markhor is mountanous ram or ewe, found at the higher altitudes of arid mountains. The deodar, I guess is a pine species and chakor is a desert grouse species.

Dear Gymnosophist: Let me acccept your philosophy, for the sake of amusement to temporal and other chowk readers, and extend the ramifications of cow beig the national animal of Pakistan. Pakistan will decide to change the name to Industan or Sakistan( Gandasa of soc.culture.pakistan will be a national hero instead of Ch. Rehmat Ali who proposed the name Pakistan). The modern day descendants of sakas, the gujjars (this is a fact) of Swat, Hazara, Gujrat, Gujranwala of Industan as well as gujjus of Indian state of Gujrat will demand a return to the power. In addition to a migrant from Gujrat, Abdus Sattar Edhi, Industan will also consider, Mahatma Gandhi (another saka) to be a national hero and some journalist will write an article, titled, ``Hegemony of Ruling Sakas in Industan``.

Cheers!

Sameer

Oh, BTW the Degree of Freedom is a function of data points on a cartesian XY plot and defined as (n-1) where `n` is the number of data points. I suppose, philosophy, religions and cows are not bound by mathematical terminology.

It’s entirely ridiculous to blame NS for the military takeover. Dynasties have ruled in India, Sri Lanka has ever Army stepped in there. Military is the most corrupt institution in our country, which is kept alive by continuously lying to people and maligning politicians. It’s indeed sad when we say that 1988-1998 was a decade of democracy. Both Nawaz Sharif and Benazir were puppets and now when one of the puppets tried to break free and tried to mend fences with India he was over thrown. That’s the only reason for NS ouster every thing else is rubbish.

I once again would like to draw your attention toward a recent article by Mr. Shaheen Sehbai, a Washington, D.C. based Pakistan journalist. In this article, he has called for the accountability of journalists.

Temporal, Zeemax, Raja Amir Janjua, and myself have already contributed. I am pleased with two responses, one each by Zeemax and Temporal. Raja Janujua has supported Sehbai`s stand. Tempral, Zeemax, and myself are concerned about the freedom of press. Most other respondents have supported Sehbai (normal routine kind of responses). Husain Haqqani and Khalid Hasan have tried to explain their positions and viewpoints. Sehbai has added his response to these two gentlemen. Nayyar Zaidi has written three responses. Aamir Sehbai, Webmaster, has registered his polite rebuttal. Zaidi`s response to Aamir is a little harsh. The tone of Zaidi`s three responses is blended with frustration, anger, and a kind of threat of legal action. On the whole, the journalist community seems to have neglected this article. I once again invite all Chowkwallas to register their views. For the article and discussion, please visit:

www.dawn-usa.com/pakistan.shtm#nation

Sincerely, Bilal Ahmad

Those who blame the electrorate forthe failure of deomcracy are misguided. If we analyze the results of 1997 elections that people voted out of their free will they rejected Benazir and the so called Mr Clean (the establishment boy). Nawaz Sharif would have met the same fate, what was the need of this martial law.

Anyhow we must keep one thing in mind that this country was result of a political movement and military had contributed nothing towards that.

I am quoting here from the PML`s petition (drawn by Khalid Anwar) for those who keep on lecturing us about what true democracy is actually about

``it is being contended that the democracy being enjoyed by the people of Pakistan was not a genuine democracy but a sham one. It has further been contended that what was being practiced in Pakistan was only the label of democracy. The question, however, is not one of labels. It is also not as to what is the best form of democratic governance which should exist in Pakistan. It is a more basic one. It is who is to decide? Are the people of Pakistan to decide the form of democracy through the ballot box or is it to be someone else? Should this decision be made in accordance with the Constitution and the law, or should it be a decision which is imposed on the nation. This is the core issue which requires to be addressed.``

For those sitting in their cozy drawing rooms passing remarks(insulting) about the ordinary Pakistani voter I again quote from PML`s Petition

``That an attempt is some times made to cast a miasma of suspicion over the political process by pointing to corruption within the different institutions of the state. There can be little doubt about the fact of corruption. There are numerous people alive in this country who can personally testify to the fact that in the pre-1947 era there was far less corruption in the government and other organs of the State; that there was a greater level of efficiency; that there was a higher level of probity and integrity in public servants; that the common man had a greater chance of obtaining justice in a court of law; and that the level of violence in society was exponentially less than it is today. But is any one prepared to argue on this premise that the any one prepared to argue on this premise that the country should revert to colonial rule? Should we once again hand back our destiny into foreign hands merely because they may be more competent or more honest? There can be only one answer to this. Every nation, every country, and every people has to decide its own destiny. It has to move forward and not backward. The solution to combating corruption is not to remove the institutional checks and balances on the exercise of arbitrary power but to strengthen them. It is not to place implicit or blind faith in one man but to empower the nation as a whole. It is to recognize that corruption is a fact of life not merely in this country but even the most advanced countries in the world. There is no country in the world which is immune to the virus of graft and illegal practices. Last month the Finance Minister of one of the leading powers of Europe resigned under a cloud. Before that the entire European Commission (the highest body of the European Union) was forced to resign because of serious financial malpractices which were unearthed by the press. A former prime minister of a major European power has recently faced trial for murder, corruption etc. What has been the response of those societies to these challenges to the integrity of the political process? It has not been to condemn the system as a whole but instead to seek to reform it. Not to condemn the constitution but those who misused it. And what is wrong with that approach? It should also be noted, incidentally, that some of the most advanced European countries have not merely tolerated corruption by their companies in developing countries but have actually tacitly encouraged it by allowing bribes paid to officials of such countries to be tax deductible. It is only as recently as the last two years that a movement has built up in Europe to prevent and reform this highly deleterious and unethical state of affairs.``

Nobody can justify this action of the Army and we better codemn it before its too late.

In response to sadna (Reply # 72) From another forum

Dear Sadhana:

If by the ``currently-living most respected person in Pakistan`` you mean General Musharraf, I have already answered this question several weeks ago. I have no doubt that he would win. Pakistani people are very simple and tolerant when it comes to the myth (and reality) of national interest. The bulk of opposition to the army-bureaucracy-bourgeoisie alliance generally starts from the smaller provinces.

Sincerely, Bilal Ahmad

Chowk Staff:

Shaheen Sehbai`s article should be on the front page.

Sincerely, Bilal Ahmad

P.S. Chowkwalla, until this article appears on the front page, go to search and type: Fat Cats or Who Will. You may also retrieve it through an author search, type: Shaheen or Sehbai.

Sameer 166:``There is absolutely no logic or any sort of consensus in making this or other decisions regarding naming missiles, planes, cities, roads and parks etc.`` This is an interesting discussion. Unfortunately I cannot comment on the thought process that has gone into naming missiles, cities, roads, and parks, but I do have a pretty good understanding of how airplanes have been named.

Before anyone loses all hope for Pakistan, let me boost your moral by saying that, as far as I know, the airplanes in Pakistan have been named with quite a bit of intelligence and logic.

The Pakistan Air Force generally buys aircraft from USA, France, and China, with a few types built locally. The American planes usually retain their alpha-numeric designations, and names (like F-16, C-130 and Falcon, Hercules respectively). The Chinese aircraft, when purchased, carry Russian designations (like Mig-19, Mig-21 etc.). These have been changed by Pakistan to F-6, F-7 respectively, to bring their designations in line with the American aircraft being operated by Pakistan. The names used for these planes normally are the ones used by NATO like Farmer, Fishbed, Foxtrot etc. The French Aircraft (like Mirage III, Mirage IV) keep their French names and designations.

The two aircraft manufactured locally are designated MFI-17 and called Mushaak (I believe meaning trainer), and K-8 called Karakoram.

So don`t lose heart, there is still some hope (at least as far as airplanes go) :)

Dear Umairr (#189): Thanks for sharing the information and letting me know the meaning of Mashaak. I consider myself quite literate in urdu language and its vocabulary but did not know the meaning of Mashaak. I suppose gone are days of naming Rani and Sherni for big cannons. The one square mile each sectors of Islamabad have beautiful names like Ramna( a Bengali word), shalimar, kohsar and bolan and there must be plenty more reasonable names.

Actually I am very hopeful about the future of Pakistan. Pakistan is full of honest, hard working and intelligent people. Unfortunately, at present, they are not empowered enough to contribute to the best of their capabilities.

I am impressed with your remarkable civility in the middle of very heated debate at ``invisible`` thread. Eid Mubarak.

Sincerely,

Sameer

bahmad #187

Dear Bilal,

I was asking Chowkwallahs for my own information who wields the most moral authority in Pakistan. I didnot exactly mean political power, I meant people who are widely respected and trusted for a much longer period than the last few months. I thought it may be a learned cleric or elder politician or academic. I am not sure its very easy to choose the same in India, being a huge and diverse country. The head of government is always a strong contender, I agree.

Sadhana

Sameer 190: Actually, I was not 100% sure about the word, ``Mushaak.`` That is why I stated, I ``believed`` it to mean trainer. Mushaak is a trainer aircraft. I think its actual spelling should be, ``Mushaaq.`` from the word, ``Mushq`` which I believe means excercise or to train. For some reason the last alphabet used by the PAF in the name is a, ``k.``

I think most, if not all, of the Naval ships have reasonable names, as well. I believe most of them are named after cities, like PNS Dhaka etc. The army seems to have started using Islamic names for equipment, like the Al-Khalid tank (I assume it is named after Khalid-Bin-Waleed), and the Anza, shoulder launched missile (I think named after Prophet Muhammad`s spear). I am not sure whether this is wrong or right. After all, one of the biggest motivating factors of the Pakistan military men is the Islamic concept of Shahadat. Then again, perhaps we should name things after our home-grown Pakistani heroes. Who knows?

The big problem is with missiles. Countries seem to go berserk when the name missile. Pakistan seems to be countering India, in the name game. Pakistan has an advantage here because historically Muslim rulers/invaders/kings (pre-British days) generally were able to beat up on the local Indian generals, etc. in the Sub-Continent. So everytime India names a missile after one of the historic Hindu generals, Pakistan names its new product after the Muslim general who defeated the corresponding Hindu general. I think India has realized this, and has now changed its naming scheme to names like, ``Nag`` etc.

But before people declare all South Asians to be caught up in this strange battle of names, I would like to remind everyone that the US actually has an ICBM named, ``Peacekeeper.`` Now that is what I call ridiculous :)

Decolonize Our Minds, Bodies, and Spirits

In a letter to the Editor, Arif Qamar Khan has given another call for the establishment of grassroots level democracy in Pakistan. I also support the dececentralization of power and the empowerment of the people, but we (the people) are not used to such a luxury. Common people have long lost their freedom at the hands of the rich and powerful. They minds, bodies, and spirits were colonized by the ethos of the rich and power. At present, the people are neither confident nor prepared to take charge in their own hand. It is, therefore, imperative that we build the confidence of our people slowly, gradually, and unceasingly. For this, our educated masses need to play the role of, what Gramsci calls, organic intellectuals.

Sincerely, Bilal Ahmad

P.S. Who is Arif Qamar Khan? Does anyone know him personally?

Dawn Internet Edition

January 7, 2000

Democracy through decentralization

At the outset of a new millennium, much can be said about the deplorable gap between an ideal Pakistan and reality. As the Chief Executive put it in one of his earlier press conferences, the government is faced with such an ocean of troubles, it is difficult for it to decide where to begin.

Countries that have a long tradition of democracy do not depend on the central government to sort out every problem. People help themselves, collecting taxes, establishing their own schools, hospitals, and utilities, building their own roads, even growing their own food, etc., at district level. As opposed to this, what we have in our country, is an extension of the British bureaucracy, which was never intended or structured to enable people to rule themselves. It was the instrument of a colonial force that had every interest in discouraging and retarding local self-governance.

Apart from being undemocratic, such a system is unsustainable, considering Pakistan`s burgeoning population and its economic plight. If the government wants to develop the country, it simply must shift responsibility to the people. It cannot take care of everything for everyone. Helpless dependence on the government must go, and a vigorous attitude of self-help must be firmly entrenched at the grassroots level.

The government must also learn to let go. Let each district appoint its own chief of police, judges, and magistrates for more efficient maintenance of law and order and dispensation of justice. Let us bring in the jury system so people have a say. Let them collect their own common revenue and let them spend it as they deem best.

The government has done well to accord a high priority to decentralization of power. This is the only way to democracy. Limit federal rule to defence, overall regulations, and maintaining a healthy macro-economy. Never again should a situation arise where one set of men and women sit down to unravel the problems of an entire nation.

ARIF QAMAR KHAN

Islamabad

Umairr #192

[`The big problem is with missiles. Countries seem to go berserk when the name missile. Pakistan seems to be countering India, in the name game. Pakistan has an advantage here because historically Muslim rulers/invaders/kings (pre-British days) generally were able to beat up on the local Indian generals, etc. in the Sub-Continent. So everytime India names a missile after one of the historic Hindu generals, Pakistan names its new product after the Muslim general who defeated the corresponding Hindu general. I think India has realized this, and has now changed its naming scheme to names like, `Nag` etc]

what else could one expect from the one-track, confrontational , reactive and unimaginative pakistani establishment.

agni, prithvi, akash, trishul, nag, sagarika and surya

you (and pakistani establishment) perhaps do not know the meaning of these words.

On the question of identity : South Asaian or the Ummah ? An excellant article in Dawn. I´m reproducing it here instead of the link because it´ll be archived in a day.

[Conflict vs Cooperation

By Kunwar Idris

By publishing on January 1, 2000, a thick and versatile special report on South Asia, Dawn has done well to remind us of the region in which our roots lie and where we must seek our future.

By sheer chance the paper`s nostalgic box ``50 Years Ago Today`` of the following day (Jan 2) reinforced that very reminder. That day independent Indonesia`s first prime minister, Dr Mohammad Hatta, passed through Karachi. Asked by the pressmen whether ``Islamism`` would form the basis of Indonesia`s relations with Pakistan, Dr Hatta`s reply was Pakistan`s Asiatic rather than Islamic character would be the basis of the future relations between the two countries.

Such reminders, or counsels, kept coming at intervals. Some ten years ago when Central Asia broke away from the Soviet Union, the head of one of its republics came to Pakistan. At the state banquet President Ghulam Ishaq Khan harangued him with great passion on the revival of the common religious and cultural heritage that was suppressed under communism. It touched no emotional chord. The visiting head on his turn said his country had just emerged out of an ideological maze after 70 years. His host should not lead him into another. His sole concern now was to raise the living standards of his people. And that is what had brought him to Pakistan seeking trade and economic cooperation not reliving history.

His message in 1990 was lost as was Dr Hatta`s in 1950. Central Asia with its vast potential trades elsewhere leaving us alone with our nostalgia.

The Muslims of the subcontinent had to assert their religious identity to carve out a country of their own. In that fervour, and the estrangement it had created, the country lost its economic and social bearings in the region of which it was a part, without becoming part of another.

The alienation within South Asia and hostility with India has left Pakistan mauled and diminished. The price we have paid for ignoring realities in pursuit of a romance is a broken country steeped in poverty, ignorance, violence and debt.

Tragically, all attempts to strike out of our own region to forge economic relations elsewhere based on shared faith and religion have met with failure. The long-standing pacts with Iran and Turkey, embracing in more recent times some Central Asian countries, have generated little trade or investment. Nor have bilateral pacts with the other Muslim states.

A dispatch from Saudi Arabia in this paper the other day brought out the poignant fact that Pakistan`s share in Saudi Arabia`s 30 billion dollar a year imports was just about a quarter of one per cent, and constantly going down. India`s exports to Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, are rising by 20 per cent a year heading toward a billion dollars. Leaving the other reasons aside, the Saudi taste changing to Indian rice remains a mystery. The price not being a material consideration in Saudi Arabia, it should give the rice producers and exporters here some anxious moments.

Saudi Arabia practically has no investment in Pakistan. It is considerable in India and growing especially in oil sector. For the establishment of a refinery a MoU was signed with Iran eight years ago. It still remains a MoU. The plans over a period of time to lay gas pipelines from Qatar, Iran or Turkmenistan have foundered over the hesitation to sell it onward to India in the event we discovered enough of our own. Meanwhile, we continue to import large quantities of dirty fuel oil for industry and power generation.

Whatever the economic experts or tricksters might pledge or try, the hope for Pakistan`s economy lies only in its being member of a South Asian economic association notwithstanding the political conflicts, Kashmir above all, which infest the region.

In an atmosphere charged with suspicion and hostility, Kashmir has been drifting away from solution over the past 52 years. It cannot be resolved through another war as it wasn`t in the past three or four. No one should understand it better than the present military leadership. For it to assert that there can be no peace, hence no economic development, till Kashmir dispute is resolved is sheer jingoism. If there is a hope for Kashmir it lies only in peace and prosperity of South Asia.

Pakistan has greater stake both in Kashmir and in peace than the other countries of the region. Even in the presence of Kashmir dispute and other insurgences, investment and growth are taking place in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka but not in Pakistan. Their social indicators are also better and improving faster. India claims two million Europeans and a million Americans are seeking residence permits to tend their investments or plan new ones. Our businessmen have to go to Dubai or Singapore to talk to the potential investors who are too scared to come here.

Contrary to the pronouncements of the military leadership, an end to the Kashmir dispute and the agony of its people is to be found in economic cooperation not in war. There appears no other option even on the distant horizon. If religion emerges as the predominant sentiment, 400 million Muslims inhabiting the region would constitute a force more formidable than Pakistan confronting India alone. ]