The Millenium Manifesto or ’Ikeesween Sadi Dastoor’

Off Topic :

A quick update on the latest situation in Pakistan :-

1) USA has concluded that the Indian plane was hijacked by the Pakistani group Harkut-ul-Mujahideen (formerly known as Harkatul-Ansar) supported by Pakistan military, and that USA has no choice but to consider placing the country on the list of terrorist nations. USA has clarified it has no conclusive evidence of Pakistan Govt`s fore-knowledge of the hijacking plans (NY Times).

2) The stock market has crashed after an incredible 600 point rise in 12 sessions translating in a gain of Rs 180 billion. The reason for the rise was stated by Govt officials as public confidence in the new regime, when the actual reason was that the big three nationalised banks were ordered by ministry of finance to prop up the market with depositor`s funds( prohibited by the banking ordinance ). I had been advising people to stay out of the market as it was a `bull-trap`. Now it seems the small investors who were lured by the quick buck have lost their life savings. I`m not sure how much the banks lost but I`m sure the amounts run into tens of billion. All three referred bank presidents had resigned their positions last week when the stock market scam commenced.

3) Tensions are rising at the Chhamb border. India claims it has six bodies of Pakistani soldiers which it will return if asked. Pakistan however reports these soldiers as `missing` as asking for these will be akin to admission of it`s incursion across LOC.

4) Trader`s organisations have categorically rejected paying General Sales Tax. Govt`s position is firm as well and arrests are likely to begin soon. Prices of staples are sharply rising.

5) Amidst the above imbroglio, progress has been made in `Bhal Safai` of canals, and National Security Council has approved in a formal meeting the setting up of private cable-TV channels, the top item on the meeting agenda.

Reply #: 209

bahmad

Dear bahmad,

In your post # 209 you wrote : [Dear Zeemax:

As you have received over 200 hunred responses to you ``Manifesto,`` it would be nice if you write a critical appreciation of the replies vis a vis your Manifesto.]

I have been wondering as to whether I should do it or an independant observer on this board. I recall someone had written an excellent summary on `` He had no choice `` with tabulation of the `For`, `Against` and `Undecided` responses alongwith their representative remarks. Was it Assad_K ? Or SameerJB ? Certainly the issue at hand is more complex than whether there was a choice or not, so a simple for/against tabulation would not be sufficient. A thorough and unbiased analysis of the contributors` line of thought would be required which I may not be qualified to do, being an interested party having written this article.

What do you think ?

Rgds.

Re: My post #242

The last part was inadvertently omitted. It should read:

US support for the mujahideen was probably beneficial as far as furthering US anti-Soviet aims are concerned. However, the group of mujahideen that received US support were the worst possible choice.

While there were no ``progressive`` forces among the mujahideen--all the progressives were supporting the government--there were more and less reactionary elements for the US to choose from.

In this case, the US let ideology (Reagan and company`s anti-Communist fixation) get in the way of a truly pragmatic approach to US national security. This is a common failing of US foreign policy. It is too personalistic and dependent on the whims of whoever happens to be in power.

As I said in a different context: I have no objection to the pax Americana; I only object to the fact that its run by idiots.

Reply #: 233

Umairr,

Your post has many aspects. I`ll comment on the most importants ones for sake of brevity.

1) The statement :`` It is alright for the US to itself openly refuse the signing of the CTBT, yet force other countries to sign it (this one is the most ridiculous)`` is incorrect. USA was one of the first signatories of CTBT and signed it on 24th September 1996. What remains is ratification of CTBT by their Senate. A complete list of signatories, ratifiers and other details are available on http://www.clw.org/pub/clw/coalition/bkgrsign.htm Certainly, much of our wrath against USA stems from disinformation by media in respect of which I have been writing earlier.

2) You will agree that USA has the right to counter by any means any threat to it`s national security as well as the lives and property of it`s citizens at home and overseas. This is not ironical at all. By comparison the CE of Pakistan has recently threatened to use nuclear weapons if national security was jeopardized.

As things stand now, the USA perceives Islamic extremism as the biggest threat to it`s national security; not quite unjustifiably. As to why we must address USA`s concerns seriously, I quote the following extract from today`s Dawn :

[Acting without passion : By Kunwar Idris.

Today`s world is dominated by America and technology. Recognizing that reality, every country has to find its own path to security and prosperity.

Pakistan`s technological base is rudimentary even by the standards of the developing countries. Our religious leaders inspired by the defiance of the Taliban are not impressed by the statement of Henry Kissinger about the US in a recent article in Dawn that ``never before has a single country achieved a comparable ascendancy on a global basis and in so many fields of endeavour, from weaponry to entrepreneurship, from technology to popular culture``.

Here Masood Azhar, who at the age of 31, five of which were spent in a Jammu prison, is both our learned master (maulana) and liberator of Kashmir. He stamps the land with ferocious guards in to vowing to make life for the Americans insecure all over the world. By his conduct he is reinforcing India`s campaign to declare Pakistan a terrorist state.

On a more responsible plane the Jamaat-i-Islami leaders suggest that Pakistan should sign CTBT only after the US Senate has ratified it. We have been hitching our decision on this point with India. That is understandable, because of the legacy of war and deceit though India is a much bigger country, but to challenge America is a bit ludicrous.

Pakistan`s gross national product at $63 billion just equals three days of America`s ($7921 billion). The disparity in nuclear arsenals is even wider. Without being cowed down we must take note of the brutal demonstration of American power in Iraq as much as its humanitarian intervention in Kosovo and its total dominance of the international financial system.

Its capacity to harm or help is enormous.]

America has traditionally been Pakistan`s ally, albeit for whatever reasons. Pakistan has practically no friend left in the world now and we cannot afford to strain the relationship with USA. Even the Islamic countries (OIC) never supported Pakistan`s position on Kashmir. The notion that China is a friend is based on naivete´ as China is no one`s friend but it`s own - i.e. the Chinese nationalism. Neither does it need anyone as it has amply displayed in matters of human rights and economy.

Indeed relationships between nations are based on self-interest. Since we need China we condone it`s occupation of Tibet and oppose the membership of Taiwan to the UN, in return China gives us lollipos like saying the coup is an internal matter of Pakistan.

3) I do not agree that US has no need for Pakistan. Their State Department has said on many occasions after the coup that Pakistan was too important a country in the region to break off engagement with it altogether, though they have qualified it by saying it cannot be ``business as usual``. Pakistan is important as a buffer-state between Chinese communism / Afghan Islamic extremism on one end and the western style democracies of India and beyond at the other, thus important for US interests.

4) One of the known camps run by Harkat-ul-Ansar is located in the mountains near Batrasi, on the Abbottabad - Muzaffar Garh Rd. Pakistan has always claimed that the Kashmir struggle only had it`s moral and political support. The existence of these camps meant to train commandos for infiltration into other countries belies that claim and will obviously attract the allegation of a terrorist state.

As for whether India`s actions in Kashmir can be judged state terrorism ( no other country accepts this view ), and whether these can and should be reciprocated with counter-terrorism - the answer is obvious in that it can only lead to unnecesary bloodshed and does not serve Pakistan`s interests in any way imaginable. Indeed, the Kashmir issue has much to blame for Pakistan`s historic political and economic instability, and it`s time it was resolved once and for all for this country`s very survival.

Rgds

RE: Umair #233

You`ve hit the nail right on the head: the US state dept exists for the furtherance of US national security. Theres an old saying, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. By my reckoning, we`ve been fooled at least thrice: 1965, 1971, 1988. Well, 1971 doesn`t really count although Nixon and Kissinger were somewhat pro-Pakistani (or actually anti-Indian).

So why do we go crawling back to Uncle Sam? Because no one else would have us. We tried to cosy up to the Arabs under Mr. B and Gen. Zia but that got us precisely nowhere. Given our stunted economy and disproportionately large armed forces, we have no choice but to look for a protector/financier. But, in all fairness, we knew full well that the Americans armed and trained us (initially) only after the Indians turned them down. We were supposed to point our guns only at the evil Russians and Chinese but we decided to cheat and point them at the Indians. We shouldn`t be too surprised at the result--the Americans cut us off at the knees.

Cohen, in his excellent book on the Pakistan Army, quotes a senior Pakistani army officer as saying to the Americans, ``Why did you betray us? We were your best, your only, allies. We would have done anything for you.`` Or words to that effect.

It is true, incidentally, that we would have done anything for Uncle Sam. In the late 1960s, we were planning to send two infantry divisions to Vietnam to fight for the Americans. FM Ayub finallly said no because it became clear that LBJ was not going to fully restore American aid to us and cut off aid to the Indians.

Incidentally, talking about the Stingers, in college I meet two ex-CIA types who were doing their Ph.D.s in political science (they were friends of my TA) and over a few beers they told me that Pakistan was the only CIA covert war where the entire local operation was in non-CIA hands (i.e., the ISI decided who got how much, etc.). The CIA`s professionals, with much experience from Vietnam in how to run a covert war, were very upset by this and did not want to allow this. They, rightly, complained that the leakage out of the pipeline was immense since the ISI was corrupt to the core and Gen.s Zia and Akhtar were only interested in aiding the most ideologically compatible mujahideen, not the ones that were the most effective fighters (i.e., Masud and company).

Apparently Zia had insisted on local control as the price of Pakistani cooperation and Casey (the then CIA director) had agreed to it.

Re: krashid #228

I see that my old friend krashid is displaying his ignorance here as well. I hate to correct him since, ignorance beign bliss, he must be an extremely happy man, but he is wrong about the ``homegrown`` aspect of the Orangi Pilot Project. Mr. Akhtar Hameed Khan himself told us (he was addressing a group of us) that the genesis of his Comilla project (the predecessor of both the OPP and the Aga Khan Rural Support Program) was in the S. Korean cooperative movement, which was itself based on 19th century German rural cooperatives. The last time I looked, Germany was pretty much a part of the evil West. And S. Korea prospered because it abandoned juche (I think thats the term) and decided to beat the West at its own game. Yes, many Western development models have failed, but the success stories are all Western as well.

Also, the work done by Maulana Edhi, i.e., organized private charity, is also based on existing Western models: e.g, the Salvation Army.

Alas for poor krashid, the more he spouts off, the more his ignorance shows.

I do apologize for dispelling his ignorance and thus reducing his happiness. Or is his ignorance so strong that nothing can dispel it?

Best regards.

Reply #: 211

Ferozk

Good to see you after a long while. Hope everything`s fine with you and your loved ones.

Your post raises several issues. I`ll try to answer them one by one.

1) My manifesto is neither a mission statement nor a policy paper to cure the ills of Pakistan. I didn`t labour over it because it`s just so simple. Everyone knows where the problems lie and how those can be resolved. It`s only that no one feels it`s worthwhile to do anything for this country. A feeling of futility is prevalent. My paper only aims at removing that feeling of futility .. that efforts are not in vain, and that it`s very easy to do it - no rocket science.

2) Implementation Yes. Everything`s in implementation. You quoted the Americans, they`re right. They`re still cooperating with us how to go about it but we don`t listen. The first congratulatory message upon creation of Pakistan was by America read out by MA Jinnah on 11th of August 1947. There have been three teams of American Senators so far during past week and they`ve laid down four conditions otherwise they`ve made it clear the relations between America and Pakistan will be strained :

a) Timetable for restoration of democracy.

b) Banning of terrorist organisations like Harkat-ul-Ansar aka Harkatu-l-Mujahideen.

c) Signing of CTBT.

d) Handing over of Osama bin Laden with Pakistan`s influence.

Now which of these demands is unfair ? If USA wants right now they can eliminate the terrorist camps in Pakistan ( all well known) as well as annihilate Afghanistan. Still they ask for the Pakistani junta to cooperate .. a junta that they do not even accept as legitimate. I`m coming to the conclusion that evolution is by colour! Whites are more advanced, other shades are later in the process.

As to who will implement it ? Not me. I don`t want to go to jail. I left the hippies because I wanted to have a bath more often. I will implement it if I was guaranteed my human rights. Can anyone guarantee that ?

3) No one has presented a comprehensive plan so far. Bits and pieces have been presented in isolation of the realities.

4) Yes the dream will die away. No one cares. It reminds me of the words in that cult classic `` Blade Runner``. When the android beat the human at the end and had the human`s life in his hands, he let him go because it was time to die. He said `` I have seen everything there`s to see. I have seen burning ships on the shores of Orion, I have seen ocean rays leap up at the sky. All these memories will go to waste .. like tears in the rain !``

That`s the story of Pakistan. Wasted like tears in the rain. I`m just hoping against hope.

Rgds.

Reply #: 212

bahmad

Dear Bilal,

You seem hung up on this devolution thing. You talk about proportional representation. Javed Jabbar has said today that any constituency at the basic level with less than 50% of votes cast will not be counted as representative. Javed Jabbar says that? He was never even elected. Javed Jabbar runs around his sisters and nieces as call-girls and I have personal knowledge of that. He`s a pimp. I won`t say more of personal experience because Chowk will not allow it.

As to Devolution, the CE holds three posts. The Chief of the Army Staff, the Joint Chief of the Military Forces, The Chief Executive of the Federation. So much for devolution. It`s a Sham of the biggest order !

There`s a nobility in poverty. We must not think poverty is a Sin. I have felt the happiest when I din`t have a penny to eat, but I had mental peace. With possessions comes fear. If I have nothing I have no fear of anything to lose. I saw that in Calcutta. The serenity of the people living on the streets and washing their clothes in the gutter and their small children pissing on the streets. They were still happy.

We cannot give those people anything more with all our good intentions and education than what they already have. They have God. Maybe that`s how God meant it to be.

They`re children of a lesser God, a God nevertheless.

Reply #: 213

Behram B. Atashband

Indeed this has disturbed me to a degree. Behram Saheb I wouldn`t have done my MBA if it wasn`t for quota system. I went to the Gomal University in Dera Ismail Khan on an NWFP quota when I was a Punjabi. I didn`t go to McGill or the UCLA because I just couldn`t have! My father being an honest beurocrat, no money to send his kids abroad, and I being involved more into music and philosophy and the hippie culture. Not enough marks even to go to the IBA in Karachi. Still I`m successful in my career. So who else than me would know the blessings of the quota system in education ?

As for what I learnt in Dera Ismail Khan other than education; about this country`s genuine people, that`s another story.

Being misunderstood is the greatest hurt.

Reply #: 213

Behram B. Atashband

A quick correction. My reference to abolishment of quota system was in respect of jobs. Not education. I reproduce the extract which is clear ``Quota system in government jobs to be abolished. All appointments to be on merit alone.``

All of your contentions regarding education are correct. Education is the basic right of people and must not be denied. Dear Behram I was talking about Jobs. I`m not sure if bahmad said quota system for education should be abolished. I`ll let bahmad defend his position if he said that.

Rgds

Re: Behram B. Atashband, Reply #: 213

I am firmly opposed to the current quota system, whether it is the one in place in Pakistan or the one here in the US--although, technically, the latter is not a formal quota system. All that a quota does is that it firmly entrenches the elite of any group. However, no one can deny that rural Sindh in general has been severely discriminated against, especially with regards to the availability of educational facilities. Thus to expect people from rural Sindh to compete on even terms with people from urban Sind is ludicrous.

So, instead of domicile based quotas, why not have socio-economic class based ``affirmative actions?`` This way the sons of Sindhi Waderas would not benefit from having a rural Sindh domicile and the poor but brilliant Mohajir girl that Chowk posters have been so sympathetic towards would also not be discriminated against.

Actually, we would probably have to have a sliding scale of ``positive discrimination.`` So, for example, a poor person whose father was not even a Matriculate would get more ``points`` than an equally poor person whose father was, say, an FA pass, and so on. This would better equalize access since its a well known fact that the parent`s educational background makes a huge difference in the children`s attitude towards education and socio-economic mobility.

Of course, such a system would favor the poor of rural Sindh more than it would favor the poor of urban Sindh, but then the former have a longer way to go. It would also do away with some of the worst excesses of the current system. However, administratively, it would be much more difficult to implement.

The current system is much easier to implement--just determining domicile is easier to do than determining income and parent`s education.

Incidentally, every comprehensive study in the US shows discrimination to be decreasing steadily once all the factors are accounted for. For example, here one always hears that stupid figure that women only make 72 cents (or is it now 79 cents?) on average for every dollar earned by men.

If you put in a simple variable like has the woman ever had a child, this difference drops to 91 cents in 1991 and, I believe, 95 cents in 1998.

Similarly for black men, once you factor in education, the wage differential drops dramatically. If you try to adjust for quality of college education, the black wage differential drops even further. For Hispanic men, once you factor in English language skills, the wage differential drops to near zero.

One can argue that there is a type of second order discrimination going on here in the US as minority groups have disproportionately worse schools, but how much of that is just simple poverty at work and how much of that is ``discrimination?``

Re: AI #203

Sorry, AI, the nightly bottle of Black Label--assuming that it is a bottle a night--is probably free. The Coast Guards confiscate the stuff by the boat load (I saw their warehouse back in the early 1980s and it was full) and they`ll send a few hundred complimentary crates to Army House if asked. So you don`t have to take bribes to afford the nightly (Rs.2,000 worth) bottle.

BTW, how are you so sure that its a bottle a night? :-)

Regards.

Reply #: 193 FARANGI_KUSH

Many thanks for your good wishes. Your knowledge and experience is a valuable gift to this forum.

With Sincere Regards.

Gnostic # 200

Thank you indeed for your kind remarks though I`m not sure I`m worthy.

Yes it has been difficult at times. But I`ve seen everyone`s much the same, has the same wants and needs, regardless of differences in opinions. Tolerance is the key, which I find in abundance in the Chowk community. As is sheer brilliance of many contributors. I feel I have gained much more than I may have given.

As for the Dastoor, it is a sincere attempt at invoking pragmatic thought. Pakistan is being increasingly viewed as a failed state. This country can neither live on illusions of the past nor dreams of divine intervention for it`s future. Something has to be done here and now. Many contributors have said yes this makes sense, but it can never happen since (1) Who will do it ? (2) The powers that be will not let it happen. (3) Even if Pakistan does it who will convince the other side i.e. India ? (4) How can the Sunni parties sit on the same benches as Shia`s as they`re at each other`s throats.

To above I say everything`s possible. It`s a constantly changing world and nothing is a permanent constant. Change is inevitable. If things don`t change for the better they will change for the worse, and just a positive attitude can influence things to change for the better rather than for the worse. That`s all I seek.

Rgds

Reply to Fuzair

I am very grateful to you for taking pains to publish ``INDIA`S HANDS ARE NOT CLEAN`` and denial by Mr. Abhyanker on behalf of Indian Government. You see plenty of truth written by Rohan Oberoi. It but natural that Abhyanker has to deny it. He is paid by Indian Govt. That is his job. When you play dirty with dirty people, it is not considered bad. ``Chor Chor maasare bhai``. So if Pakistan pulled a fast one on India, so what. Indians have a lot of explaining to do. This is the only way to teach a lesson to ``dhoti`` and langot people of India. I am sorry, I should say Bharat.