The Millenium Manifesto or ’Ikeesween Sadi Dastoor’

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Amanullah Khan, chief of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front believes that the divided

Jammu and Kashmir should be reunited (Indian administered and Pakistan administered)

in several peaceful phases and made a fully independent State for, say 15 years, with

a democratic, non-communal and federal system of government. That government should have friendly relations with both India and Pakistan. The international community should give an undertaking that none of the neighbouring states will interfere in the internal affairs of the new state or violate its frontiers. Similarly, the new state of J&K should ensure its neutrality and not allow its soil to be used against any country. After 15 years the UN can ask Kashmiris if they want to remain independent or become a part of India or Pakistan. Every party should then accept the popular decision of a referendum. A UN peace and monitoring force can ensure the fairness of such an exercise.

``In my view, both India and Pakistan have to choose between the status quo and independence to a re-united Jammu and Kashmir. For India, the status quo will mean continued trouble in Kashmir as is happening right now. On the other hand, re-unification of an independent J&K can go a long way in developing friendly relations between India and Pakistan, with Kashmir acting as a bridge. This is the only solution for a peaceful and prosperous future for the region.

Pakistan has already missed a number of chances. In 1948, India`s deputy prime minister, Sardar Patel offered the entire region of J&K to Pakistan. His condition was that Pakistan should abandon its claim on Junagadh and stop supporting the demand of complete independence then being made by the Nizam (the ruler) of Hyderabad State in Central India. Pakistan rejected the offer with the result that it lost almost all the three states. Today, every Pakistani repents missing that chance. Here is yet another chance for Pakistan.

A friendly, independent Jammu Kashmir will be far more beneficial to Pakistan than the status quo. After some time even this chance may not be available to her. By parroting the demand for implementation of UN resolutions, which deny to Kashmiris their right to independence and may never come to pass, Pakistan is bent upon committing another folly. And after Clinton`s visit, Pakistan should do some soul-searching and try to understand the dynamics that are now driving international politics.``

http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/BD05Df01.html

Hindu minority refuses to bow out of Kashmir

By Sonia Jabbar

NEW DELHI - Adding to the complexity of the ``Kashmir Problem`` which has dogged India and Pakistan for more than 50 years has been the fate of the minority Hindu population of Kashmir, otherwise known as the Pandits.

If little is known about the 300,000 Pandits who fled the Kashmir Valley between 1989 and 1991, at a time of popular support for militancy, to become refugees in India, less is known about the tiny number of 17,860 Pandits who chose not to leave.

Unlike the Kashmiri Sikhs who rallied around in huge numbers after the massacre of the 36 Sikhs of Chittisinghpora earlier in March, the Pandits were unable to organize themselves effectively in the face of selective killings of their community, choosing the safety of tented refugee camps in Jammu and Delhi instead.

The mass exodus of the Pandits is still shrouded in mystery. Why they left is a question still levelled at them by the Muslims of the valley.

``Tens of thousands of Kashmiri Muslims have died either at the hands of security forces or militants, but we are still here,`` says Shafi, an artist in Anantnag whose group of friends was almost entirely Pandit before the exodus. That there was a real, palpable fear among the Pandits of being exterminated is a fact dismissed by Shafi. He feels, like most Muslims, betrayed by them. They left without saying goodbye.

In Delhi, an old man`s sense of betrayal is of equal intensity. He was a government servant in Kashmir who trusted his Muslim neighbors. He feels they gave him no choice once the killings of the Pandits started in 1989, that they did nothing to allay his fears, that they drove him out of his homeland. ``I asked my Muslim friend why did you throw us out, why? Did we murder you? Did we rob you? Did we rape your women?`` he shouted, ``we taught you to read and write, we taught you . . . `` His friend, he said, had no answer.

The Pandits of Kashmir are all Brahmins, and pride themselves on being the only caste to have resisted conversion when Islam was introduced peacefully to the Kashmir Valley in the 14th century by the Sufis of Central Asia. They held considerable power, as they were the only people who had a tradition of being highly educated. But this also meant that they bore the brunt of the tyranny unleashed by certain ruthless invaders, particularly during the Afghan occupation of Kashmir in the mid-eighteenth century.

Even though the Kashmiri Pandits have had greater sympathies and links with the Indian Union than their Muslim counterparts, they bore severe economic losses after the Maharaja of Kashmir acceded to India when, in 1949, Kashmir`s leader Sheikh Abdullah introduced land reform measures, redistributing land largely held by the Pandits to the Muslim tiller.

``We have suffered at the hands of tyrants through history,`` says Yuvraj Raina, a Panun Kashmir activist in New Delhi. ``There have been four migrations of Pandits. This is the fifth, and the last.`` Panun Kashmir is an organization of Kashmiri Pandits formed in 1991 which believes that the only solution to the problems faced by Kashmiri Pandits is a separate homeland carved non-violently out of the Kashmir Valley.

This portion of the Valley, called Panun Kashmir, would be a secular state autonomous of Srinagar, and would abide by the Indian Constitution. They feel this is the only way to safeguard the interests, values and culture of the Kashmiri Pandit.

``Look, we told those who remained behind, it`s just a matter of time before they get you,`` says Raina. ``The Muslim fundamentalists want to ensure a pan-Islamic State from the Middle East and Central Asia to Kashmir and the world keeps quiet.`` He recounts the recent killings of the Pandits in the Valley - five last month, one more a couple of weeks later. ``We told them it is either homeland or perish.``

But this is not a sentiment shared by the Pandits who choose to remain in the Valley. In Mattan, south Kashmir, a young school teacher, Jyoti, continues to live with her family and extended family amongst her Muslim neighbors. ``This is the only home I`ve known. These are the only friends and neighbors I have ever had and they`ve been very good to us - so why should we leave?`` she asks.

``Yes, we do feel scared sometimes,`` she concedes. ``You see, no one knows anymore who the killers are. It`s not like the old days where everyone knew who belonged to which militant outfit. Now they are nameless, faceless.``

About the Pandit exodus she says, ``We never knew they were leaving. No one told us anything. In the evening they`d be chatting with us quite normally, perhaps a little afraid, and then the next morning we`d find a big lock on their front doors.``

The exodus of the Pandits has also meant that it becomes increasingly difficult for someone like Jyoti to find a suitable husband. In Srinagar there is a sizeable concentration of Pandits, but in rural areas there are barely a few families among the larger Muslim population. ``I really don`t know what I will do. My parents don`t want me to marry into a family who lives in some isolated hamlet. They`d worry for my safety. I suppose they`ll marry me off to someone in Jammu and I`d be forced to leave the Valley,`` she says quietly.

In Srinagar, the Hindu Welfare Forum, founded in 1991 to protect the interests of the Pandits who chose to remain behind, are an angry lot. They are visibly upset by the recent killings of the Pandits and fear another migration. ``Neither the state government nor the government of India has done anything to protect us. Nobody even knows we even exist. Neither the Indian media nor the international media has bothered to see how we live, highlighted our problems. Even our own community in India and abroad calls us traitors because we refused to leave,`` said a Forum member.

Apart from the myriad problems faced by this tiny community, they are a determined lot. Says Wanchoo, a businessman and a member of the Forum: ``We will never leave Kashmir, and we don`t believe in a separate homeland.

``This is our homeland and we wish to live in peace here. As for the killings, well it`s a problem faced by all Kashmiris, not just the Hindus. Everyday you read that 8-10 people have been killed and they`re usually Muslims. But the militants must realize that they only get discredited when they kill the minorities.``

His wife, who has lived through these terrible 12 years, witnessing much of the violence, experiencing much of the pain, relates a recent experience which makes her smile with delight and hope. ``At a wedding recently a whole lot of us had gathered after a long, long time - Muslim women as well as Sikh and Pandit women - and we really had fun, singing and dancing late into the night just as we used to before the militancy started.

``As I was turning in to sleep I heard the Muslim women whispering among themselves in the kitchen. `After so long,` they said, `after so many years all of us have come together`.

``It`s true, isn`t it, that a garden is most beautiful when there is a profusion of many kinds of flowers.``

Liberating`` Kashmir has become an article of faith for Pakistan`s generals. Clinton can point out to the military regime that the conflict with India is ruining Pakistan`s economy and its international relations. But will a country with its back to the wall listen to economic and political logic?

Almost everyday foreign journalists have being flown by helicopter to the mountainous forward post in Pakistan occupied Kashmir for briefing on Kashmir, but all they want to know is how Pakistan helps Islamic militants infiltrate into India through these hills. Before leaving their briefing, journalists are handed a video and photographs, depicting decapitated civilians, allegedly the handiwork of Indian troops said to have crossed the Line of Control in February.

As the snow melts in the Kashmir valley, Moslem fighters will be taking their Koran and a

Kalashnikov rifle as they slip across the border into India.

``We will continue with our struggle. For us it makes no difference,`` trainee guerrilla Mohammad Hanif Abu Dojana, 21, said about the Clinton visit, as he sat cross-legged in a small office of Mujahideen Lashkar-e-Taiba in the port city of Karachi.

Lashkar says it is the largest Pakistan-based militant group fighting Indian rule in Kashmir,

with offices across the country collecting funds and recruits like Dojana, mostly from poor

neighbourhoods and villages.

Similar groups, like the Lashkar-e-Tayyba, whose membership and leadership include retired members

of Pakistan`s army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), are so much a part of the unofficial body politic in Pakistan now that they enjoy open material support from the Musharraf regime. At that group`s annual meeting last November, Lashkar`s chief, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed ranted that ``Issues cannot be solved without introducing the Islamic system. The Jehad is being organized under the leadership of Lashkar-e-Osama [Soldiers of Osama bin Laden].

In this fight, the United States is the biggest terrorist. Its diplomatic missions here patronize us!`` Even more unsettling than the fact that this speech was made exactly one week prior to the attack on the U.S. mission in Islamabad, is that this conference received a permit and security protection from the Pakistani government.

Dojana, sporting a small beard, is among hundreds of recruits who will join Lashkar`s suicide Fidayee groups, which are trained to attack military targets deep inside the disputed Himalayan region, the potential flashpoint of another Indo-Pakistani war.

But to these militants, a clash with India is a ``jihad`` (holy war) -- a chance to achieve what they believe to be the martyrdom they have been taught to prefer over life in this world.

``The Koran teaches us not to trust kafirs (infidels), so why expect anything from Clinton. We should be prepared for jihad; that is where our salvation lies,`` he said.

The militants also voiced confidence in the military-led government of General Pervez Musharraf who toppled prime minister Nawaz Sharif in October, over what Sharif says were differences over the handling of last summer`s confrontation with India in Kashmir.

``Yes, we are confident that the present regime in the present circumstances will not agree to any deal against the mujahideen (holy warriors),`` said Muhammad Yousuf Taiby, rector of the private University of Islamic Studies in Karachi.

Islamabad also supports the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which harbours Saudi terrorist Osama bin Laden, the FBI`s Most Wanted.

Many Pakistanis regard bin Laden as a hero for his attacks on US facilities.

Taiby, 45, a graduate from Al-Azhar University in Cairo, made no effort to hide his leanings towards militancy. Most of his graduates end up working directly or indirectly for the guerrillas.

He said Pakistan was of vital strategic importance for what he called ``the world Islamic movement.``

``Pakistan is now the only country in the Moslem world where we can openly propagate and ask people to join in jihad,`` he said, adding that was what the United States was worried about.

Pakistan`s combination of a military Government, nuclear weapons capability, and support for

Muslim extremists in Kashmir, has transformed its image in the West from a somewhat autocratic,

yet moderate Islamic nation, into that of a reckless and unstable country.

Many Pakistanis share such concerns, but welcomed the coup because they thought a military

government might crack down on the Islamic right.

The banners that greeted the President on his drive through a capital turned ghost town by a massive

security operation, graphically illustrated Pakistan`s fatal obsession with Kashmir.

All the way to Islamabad, the pedestrian overpasses sported official banners demanding human rights for the Kashmiris, a mock-up of Pakistan`s nuclear test site and replicas of the medium-range missiles the country has developed, with China`s help.

Reality, in Pakistan, has become surreal, and dangerously so.

Pumped up by state-run broadcast media, the nation of 140 million people is fed an unrelenting diet of distorted and highly emotive propaganda about the plight of their brethren in Kashmir, India`s only

Muslim majority state. Kashmir has become the single most obsession for Pakistan.

On the ground in what the Pakistan Government calls the ``liberated`` area of Kashmir - basically the

part it controls - people displaced by the conflict are used to score points.

At Zaffar camp, they are brought out of their tents to denounce Indian shelling, and deny that armed

Muslim guerrillas regularly cross over to attack Indian forces, and create mayhem of the kind that

struck the Sikh-dominated village of Chattisinghpora, where 36 men were massacred by unidentified gunmen on the eve of Mr Clinton`s visit.

But Pakistan has also broken promises and its protests about injustices increasingly are falling on deaf ears.

In Pakistan, antipathy among ethnic groups and violence between Sunni and Shiite Muslims have been aggravated by economic decay and breathtaking misgovernment. Before he was deposed by the military last year, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif centralized power, undermining Pakistan`s legislature, judiciary and provincial

governments.

Since 1994, the role of native Kashmiris in the insurgency has diminished as heavily armed outsiders from Pakistan and Afghanistan have stepped up the violence. Nearly the entire Hindu population have been driven out by Islamic miliants.

``For a stable society to emerge, Musharraf has to rein in the [Islamic guerrillas], but if he does that, he could lose domestic legitimacy fast,`` said Talat Massood, a retired Pakistani general. ``The country`s economic progress is completely blocked because of hostility with India, but there are key players with strong views on Kashmir, and he has to listen to them.``

The Pakistani intelligentsia in Islamabad views the fervor to fight for Kashmir to be of questionable value for Pakistan, and a thorn in the side of a dysfunctional economy and its ability to attract foreign investment. Real talks can only take place in an atmosphere of quiet and in a highly secret manner, they say. ``Which is more important - Kashmir, or Pakistan?`` says retired general Talaat Masood. ``I think we`ve lost our perspective on that question.``

Pakistan`s combination of a military Government, nuclear weapons capability, and support for Muslim extremists in Kashmir, has transformed its image in the West from a somewhat autocratic, yet moderate Islamic nation, into that of a reckless and unstable country.

Many Pakistanis share such concerns, but welcomed the coup because they thought a military government might crack down on the Islamic right.

Yet five months after the coup, it is clear that General Musharraf has very little room for manoeuvre.

The United States President, Mr Bill Clinton, got some idea of just how little when he dropped in for lunch in Islamabad last Sunday. The general offered no concessions.

The banners that greeted the President on his drive through a capital turned ghost town by a massive security operation, graphically illustrated Pakistan`s fatal obsession with Kashmir.

All the way to Islamabad, the pedestrian overpasses sported official banners demanding human rights for the Kashmiris, a mock-up of Pakistan`s nuclear test site and replicas of the medium-range missiles the country has developed, with China`s help.

Reality, in Pakistan, has become surreal, and dangerously so.

Pumped up by state-run broadcast media, the nation of 140 million people is fed an unrelenting diet of distorted and highly emotive propaganda about the plight of their brethren in Kashmir, India`s only Muslim majority state.

Before leaving their briefing, journalists are handed a video and photographs, depicting decapitated civilians, allegedly the handiwork of Indian troops said to have crossed the Line of Control in February.

On the ground in what the Pakistan Government calls the ``liberated`` area of Kashmir - basically the part it controls - people displaced by the conflict are used to score points.

At Zaffar camp, they are brought out of their tents to denounce Indian shelling, and deny that armed Muslim guerrillas regularly cross over to attack Indian forces, and create mayhem of the kind that struck the Sikh-dominated village of Chattisinghpora, where 36 men were massacred by unidentified gunmen on the eve of Mr Clinton`s visit.

But Brigadier Nawaz admits the wider propaganda war is being lost. ``We can`t get our point of view across, because the world is looking at India as a vast market,`` he says.

``Liberating`` Kashmir has become an article of faith for Pakistan`s generals. Clinton can point out to the military regime that the conflict with India is ruining Pakistan`s economy and its international relations. But will a country with its back to the wall listen to economic and political logic?

Open Letter to Peter Jennings and ABC World News



CHICAGO, March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The Community Action Network today issued the following open letter to Peter Jennings and ABC World News:

March 23, 2000

RE: Peter Jennings special, ``The Dark Horizon: India, Pakistan and the Bomb.``

Aired Monday, March 20, 10pm EST.

Tom Yellin, Executive Producer

Peter Jennings, Anchor

ABC World News

47 W. 66th St, 2nd floor

New York, NY 10023

Dear Mr. Yellin and Mr. Jennings,

On behalf of the Indian-American community, we thank you and your network for being the first to highlight the serious, potentially nuclear confrontation that exists between India and Pakistan. Peter Jennings succeeded in conveying to the American public the complex geopolitical factors underlying the conflict over Kashmir, including the involvement of the U.S. and Afghanistan. We encourage ABC News to continue producing insightful programs on Kashmir, in order to educate the American public on what President Clinton recently called ``the most dangerous region in the world.``

However, we are deeply disappointed by two serious factual omissions in the broadcast of this program. The first omission occurred during the historical explanation of the conflict, when Mr. Jennings stated, ``Under great pressure from both sides, he [Maharaja of Kashmir] chose India.``

The general consensus among historians and U.S. experts is that the pressure was only from one side, namely Pakistan. This pressure was exerted directly and forcefully via an invasion of Kashmir by Pakistani troops and tribesmen. It is this unilateral ``pressure`` which forced the Maharaja of Kashmir to choose India, and thus obtain the military assistance to ward off the invading Pakistani forces. The best evidence for this comes not from India, but from Pakistan itself, in a book written by the Pakistani general who led the invasion into Kashmir (Raiders in Kashmir, by Major General Akbar Khan, Pak Publishers, Karachi, 1970).

The evidence of unilateral pressure from Pakistan is further corroborated by many reliable sources, including H.V. Hodson, a British civil servant who worked with Lord Mountbatten and was intimately involved in the partition of India and Pakistan. He documents in his book, The Great Divide (Oxford Univ. Press, Karachi, 1985), that Indian leaders were disinterested in the question of Kashmir`s accession to either Pakistan or India. This disproves Peter Jennings` assertion of Indian pressure in the role of Kashmir`s accession to India.

The second glaring omission relates to the statement, ``Most Kashmiris regard the Indian army as an army of occupation, with a brutal 10-year history of repression.`` This statement does not take into account the personal experiences of 400,000 exiled Kashmiri Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists that instead regard Islamic terrorism and its ``jihad`` as the primary force of repression in Kashmir. This minority community has constituted the largest post-Independent exodus in India, with a statistical significance that in percentages matches the exodus of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo in early 1999. Tens of thousands of these refugees still languish in makeshift camps in the region of Jammu. Yet during all of Mr. Jennings` travels to Pakistan, India, and the Valley of Kashmir, he was unable to show any video footage of these Kashmiris whose lives have been drastically altered by the repressive forces of Islamic terrorism.

In commenting upon a 10-year history of repression in Kashmir, Mr. Jennings also omitted the most gruesome examples -- the massacre of thousands of moderate Muslims and secular Hindus who spoke against Islamic extremism, and the very reason behind the Indian army`s heavy presence in Kashmir. The massacres continued even during President Clinton`s India visit, when Islamic extremists butchered at least 35 Sikh minorities.

Even though such examples of repression -- indeed, ethnic cleansing -- of the Kashmiri minority community is well documented, not a word of this was mentioned in the broadcast. Even President Clinton acknowledged what Peter Jennings did not, that terrorism unleashed against the religious minorities is of grave concern, and one that must absolutely stop before the Indian government can seriously consider addressing the grievances of the Kashmiri people.

Prior to the onslaught of Islamic terrorism in the last ten years, the peaceful coexistence of Muslims and Hindus in Kashmir was a shining example of India`s secular values, as specifically noted by Mahatma Gandhi in 1947. It is a return to these secular values that we Indian-Americans desire. This process requires an acknowledgement of the current environment in which Hindus and other minorities are being selectively slaughtered in Kashmir, so that appropriate steps for its reversal can be implemented. It is for this reason that Peter Jennings` complete omission of the ethnic cleansing of Hindus takes on such significance.

The Indian-American community would like these omissions to be acknowledged by your network, and moreover, be rectified in future broadcasts on Kashmir. In addition, we look forward to meeting with your staff and personally conveying our sentiments on this issue.

Sincerely,

Rajiv Pandit

Coordinator, Community Action Network

(a project of Hindu Students Council)

Ph: 617-698-1106

Fax: 801-382-3919

Email: hsc-can@hindunet.org

THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS HAVE ENDORSED THIS LETTER:

Vijay Sazawal

Darnestown, MD

Indo-American Kashmir Forum

Ph. 301-941-8377

Email: vks@iaol.com

Ashok Koul

Ontario, Canada

Indo-Canadian Kashmir Forum

Ph. 613-744-7574

Email: Ashok.Koul@nrc.ca

Jeevan Zutshi

Fremont, CA

Indo-American Community Federation

Ph. 415-557-8454

Email: G1Zutshi@aol.com

Bharat Barai

Federation of Indian-American Associations (Chicago)

Ph. 219-924-0912

Email: bhbarai@concentric.net

Lalit Wanchoo

Mitchellville, MD

Kashmiri Overseas Association

www.koausa.org

Ph. 301-350-4072

Email: wanchoo@koausa.org

Subodh Atal

Columbia, MD

Kashmir Information Network

www.kashmir-information.com

Ph. 410-309-0841

Email: atals@home.com

SOURCE Community Action Network

CO: Community Action Network

ST: Illinois, New York

IN:

SU:

03/23/2000 09:12 EST http://www.prnewswire.com

Some from elsewhere on the Chowk, some from outside:

Lawyer for Ousted Pakistan PM

Gunned Down

March 10, 2000 10:29 AM EST

KARACHI (Reuters) - Unidentified gunmen shot dead a lawyer defending Pakistan`s ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif against a possible death sentence in a daylight

attack on his city center offices Friday.

Police and witnesses said Iqbal Raad, a leading member of Sharif`s defense team, died from a volley of bullets to his chest. An office assistant and the visiting son of a High

Court judge who were in the premises were also killed.

Pakistani military ruler General Pervez Musharraf called the killing ``a dastardly act of terrorism.``

The murder happened just weeks before President Clinton visits Pakistan.

A spokesmen for Sharif`s Pakistan Muslim League (PML), which was ousted in a bloodless Oct. 12 coup by Musharraf, said Raad had received a number of threats but declined to elaborate.

``For the past some days he was complaining that he was receiving threats,`` Raja Zafarul Haq told Reuters in Islamabad.

He declined to comment on a possible motive for the slaying, but said it would hamper Sharif`s defense, which resumes Monday.

The head of the legal team defending Sharif, Khwaja Sultan, said that the defense was ``terrified at the killing and would like to know the motives behind it.`` xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

U.N. Protests ... on

International Women`s Day

March 8, 2000 1:09 PM EST

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters)

UNICEF, the U.N. Children`s Fund, condemned ``honor killings,`` an ancient practice in which men kill female relatives for forced or suspected sexual activity outside marriage, even if they had been raped.

In 1997, some 300 women were killed in the name of ``honor`` in Pakistan alone. In Yemen, as many as 400 such crimes took place in 1997, while in India an estimated 5,000 women are killed annually because their in-laws consider their dowries inadequate.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnmmmmmmmmm

Women`s Day Marked With

Protest ... .

March 8, 2000 2:42 PM EST

LONDON (Reuters) - Women marked International Women`s Day Wednesday with protests at continued violence and discrimination, ... . Acting U.N. Coordinator for Afghanistan ..., told a news conference in neighboring Pakistan: ``In terms of attitude, in terms of approach, I am not saying there has been a 100 percent turnaround.

``But yes, (we have moved) from a very tough and difficult period to a much more flexible period,`` he said.

.................

Bilal:

Speaking of Devolution Tariq Husain wrote a thought provoking AND practical article in the current Friday Times. He was with the World Bank since the 60s and retired last fall. It will be great if he can be persuaded to write for the Chowk.

rgds

t




The devolution of insolvency

By Tariq Husain



A Reference to the Context

Nasruddin, ferrying a pedant across a piece of rough water, said something ungrammatical to him. ``Have you never studied grammar?`` asked the scholar.
``No.``
``Then half of your life has been wasted.``
A few minutes later Nasruddin turned to the passenger. ``Have you ever learned how to swim?``
``No. Why?``
``Then all your life is wasted - we are sinking!``

- ``The Subtleties of Mulla Nasruddin`` in Idries Shah, The Sufis.



In the sink-or-swim situation in which the country finds itself, it would be hard to find anyone who does not hope for things to improve fast. This hope will be dashed, if time and resources are wasted on purely scholastic approaches or reviving failed experiments. What various institutions can and cannot do for the well being of the people is well known. Given the urgency, therefore, it is worth considering what these institutions should aim to do better, if the goal is empowerment at the grassroots, the objectives those of nation building and the yardstick that of performance.



Considerations such as these are not new to Pakistan, but they lie buried in expediency and cynicism. The resulting degradation of the ethos probably cannot be reversed, unless there is a vision with which people can empathise and communicate once again. There is a vision, for example, in the Muslim League manifesto of 1948, when it was the ruling party of a newly independent Pakistan, that speaks of the ``very widest extension of local government on the models of the parishes and communes of the United States.`` There is a vision too in the law sponsored (but not implemented) by the Pakistan People`s Party in the Punjab Assembly during its first stint in power in the 1970s. And there is a vision in the 1987 Federal Cabinet proposal for taking local government down to the village and mohalla levels.



One part of the vision to which these references speak is that of self-government by communities. But these are references only to the structure, laws and other formal trappings of local governance. What people communicate in their expressions of hope is something less concrete, but also more than this, something more subjective but closer to themselves. These may be the values that lie buried in despair and cynicism, values around which the meaning of community is gifted and engendered, then nurtured and sustained, and bequeathed with pride and confidence.



And among these values there may be notions of service, a value without which it is hard to conceive an abundance of returns, either material or less visible. There may be tolerance, without which differences consume not only countries and communities but also families and individuals. There may be honesty, without which not only democracy and development but also debate and discourse regress to the mean. Be that as it may, it is meaningless to speak of progress without its vision and values: it is futile to invoke self-government without the self.



Engaging people in a collective vision of community and governance is central to the mission of reconstruction. This is only partly a scholastic mission, for renewal depends on the extent to which it takes place, and that is only the extent to which people adopt it. Part of the mission, therefore, is to bring the visionaries, architects and builders of the country into a movement, in essence replicating the efforts of the millions who created Pakistan. For there are visionaries, architects and builders in every community in the land, yearning to be something more than they are, to be part of something bigger than themselves. Once they accept the mission for renewal, then the ways and means would also be found.



It does not seem possible, however, to find ways and means merely by looking for them. For if it were, then economists and entrepreneurs would have found ways to revive the economy, financial experts and revenue collectors would have filled the coffers of the state, planners and implementers would have developed the country, the mass media would have created mass awareness, and politicians, administrators and judges would have established good governance. The project of the moment is clearly bigger than these actors, but it is essentially a project, and one that can be completed in a given timeframe, once its objectives are clarified. The objectives, however, are not sectoral or functional - they are holistic objectives, for they are the objectives of nation building rather than individual institutions.



Consider, in particular, that the over-riding compulsion of the state, for many years now, has been to devolve insolvency or dissipate it through market forces. Policies in areas as diverse as privatisation, foreign exchange, Treasury Bill auctions, the National Finance Commission Award, user charges and community participation, have been driven, if not entirely motivated, by one over-riding concern, namely, to generate resources and otherwise control the insolvency of the government. In all such attempts, the state`s compulsion for mobilising resources has brought forth an equal and opposite expectation, because resource sharing and power sharing are two sides of the same coin. The dynamic that has resulted is not simply an economic, political or social issue, but all of these, and it questions all areas of jurisdiction of the state.



Once this is accepted, then holistic objectives that serve a certain vision and mission for reconstruction would begin to emerge. They would point to the establishment of institutions that empower people as citizens, instead of dismissing them as subjects, that endow them with authority wherever they accept responsibility, protect them from harm where authority can be abused, develop their assets based on their initiatives, and so on. There is one objective, however, that over-rides all others, simply because it forces all stakeholders to reconcile personal and institutional interests with national interest. This objective is the complete devolution of insolvency from the Federal and provincial governments to the districts, cities and grassroots, within a short enough timeframe that reflects the gravity of the fiscal crisis.



There is persuasive evidence from South Asian and neighbouring countries that nothing imparts greater honesty to discourse between the state and its citizens than the matter of financial and managerial responsibility. Given the outlook for public finances, the state has no option but to devolve insolvency to junior governments and the grassroots, and the people have no choice but to accept responsibility for financing and managing their affairs. The people know these facts because they live with them, but state institutions resist, for it is not in their interest to devolve power along with their liabilities. The points of resistance - political, legal, administrative and financial - lie along the divide between provincial authorities and community governance.



Left to themselves, provincial interests will simply emasculate local governments and grassroots initiatives, as they have in the past. Clearly, then, there cannot be a resolution to this debilitating impasse - for that is what it is - without pro-active leadership from the Federal Government. The experience with institutional change, however, is that those who lead and plan change must also be made responsible for implementing their plans. When this is not done, it is only by chance that change is implemented as planned. Given the country`s institutional set-up, realistic planning and effective implementation require an integrated team representing Federal and provincial interests, responsible for planning and implementing devolution, and communicating to all concerned the standard message of managed change, ``We will carry the wounded and shoot the stragglers.``



The way ahead for devolution and progress at the grassroots would then become more-or-less clear. It could be described in a few strategic thrusts, for example:

1.Devolving power in a wide range of areas of responsibility from provincial governments to cities, districts and other appropriate territorial units that best serve a particular sector.

2.Safeguarding the interests of the people against excesses by local elites including landlords, businessmen and public functionaries.

3.Incorporation of self-government by communities within a city or district for selected functions and services that are best managed in smaller units.

4.Organisation of the poor and vulnerable for alleviating poverty and giving them voice in governance and development.

The first two of these thrusts might require the most effort, not necessarily for creating the structures that are required in the political, administrative and judicial spheres, mass media or civil society, but in meeting the expectations of the people in view of the limited experience of the country. It would seem to be of the utmost importance, therefore, to manage expectations realistically. This is best achieved by obtaining the perspectives of the stakeholders through a transparent process. The process, however, has to be planned in a structured and disciplined way, much like a process of change management, so that it is not undermined by competing interests or overwhelmed by the scale of consultation that is indicated.

The third and fourth thrusts indicated above can be developed from the best relevant experiences in the cities and villages of Pakistan, essentially by asking communities, ``What responsibility are you willing to accept for managing schools, dispensaries, water, sanitation, forests, etc. and helping the poor and destitute?`` One answer is that the government should take all or most of the responsibility. This is a recipe for creating dependency, for it does not inculcate pride and citizenship, promote responsibility and make do with what is available.

A different answer comes from those who have been touched by the work of the late Dr. Akhter Hameed Khan, Pakistan`s first Magsaysay Award winner in 1963. One measure of his impact on grassroots development, across the boundaries of South Asia and beyond its shores, is that seven of his younger associates were recognised with Magsaysay Awards. His solutions are driven singularly by what is readily available to the poor, and the pride that resides within them. He would start from a simple truth - acknowledging what people are doing for themselves - and then help them do it better and cheaper. With help from institutions such as the Orangi Pilot Project and Rural Support Programmes, people in need have been responding to this method for more than twenty years. But it is precisely now that what he envisioned for a poor country, even as it was spending its way into insolvency, appears so apt for a people left with little more than themselves. If his promise rings true, and if those who survive him can promise what he did, then the future is already here.

The author is an international consultant in change management and Managing Director of Enterprise & Development Consulting (Private) Limited, Islamabad.

---30----

RE: Zeemax

Interesting ideas for the future well being of Pakistan.....

I tend to be in agreement with some of them, but generally am of the view, as you have articulated, the only viable salvation for Pakistan, is the way forward.

What you have labored and produced is nothing short of a ``mission statement`` or a policy paper to cure the ills of Pakistan. It is here that my biggest problem, with the suggestions, arises.

There is a distint difference in suggesting a road map for Pakistan`s survival and following it diligently. Like all governments before it, this one too will be measured by its` ability to implement it reformist program to better Pakistan. To paraphrase the Americans, ``its the implementation, stupid`` and until that point till we meaningfully do what we say, nothing is going to happen for the better in Pakistan. There are too many options and suggestions on what Pakistan can do and unless we act on those suggestions, plans, programs etc., nothing will happen.

The critical question/problem in Pakistan is not a lack of a political vector or a direction, but whether we, as a nation, want to get where we have to. Pakistan has produced plans/suggestions like yours in ample quantity in the last 53 years and it still has nothing to show for it. Why?

To quote Yeats in refrence to Pakistan,

``a waste of breath seems the years behind
and a waste of breath the years to come,
in balance with life, this death``.

Plans/suggestions will not save Pakistan, but the intentions of Pakistanis to make something out of Jinnah`s dream will. Sadly, the dream is withering away and dying and no one seems to care.

As the French say, ``la farce is jouleé`` in Pakistan.

Zeemax Rep# 186

Shariati`s best work in translation (in my opinion) is ``Civilization and Modernization``.
As a former student of his work, I regret that
I had to depend on English translations of his
original works in Persian.
But of couse now since the ``Taliban Model`` is
fast becoming the ``Islamic Model`` for Pakistanis,
who wants to read about ``Islamic Enlightenment``
in the footsteps of Sir Syed, Iqbal, Afghani etc.?
Shariati`s works were available from a Texas bookstore at one time, but I now keep reading
many bits and pieces on the web. I would suggest that you search there.

Ras

Zeemax:

Shariati is in the tradition of Mohammed Abduh, Sir Syed, Iqbal and Pervez. I thought www.shariati.com under BOOKS had some of his writings.

Pervez has a site www.toluislam.com

Am not aware of any for Sir Syed.

As for Iqbal, I know someone associated with a semi official organisation in Lahore was working on setting up a site. It was still under construction last March.


rgds

t

P.S. Now if someone can help me with a search engine. I found it in a top ten list on slate and the name begins with the letter G?

Fuzair,

I don`t think we should be quick to dismiss Islam in Economics. Just because a few people take a myopic view of Islamic Banking does not necessarily translate into universal truth. Just like saying Islamic architecture is restricted to minaretes or masjids.

I believe the key to understanding Islamic Banking to work will fairness with both borrowers and lenders.

Zeemax

When I said negative interest rates, I was referring to the Yen in Interbank Markets. This has also happened for Swiss Francs in the past.

In my sugar example, I never implied that an expected profit would be offerred. I clearly connected this sugar example with that of the CPI linked bonds. In such bonds CPI does not have a predetermined level (CPI level - ofcourse it has a premium). This premium may be errorenously construed to be the real return. I, on the other hand, would term it to be basis spread between the basket of goods and services of the investor versus those in the CPI. This means if I am an investor and my basket is heavily weighted towards airline tickets, cars and luxury houses and I believe that their prices in usd will be 4% greater than that of the CPI, I will be indifferent if I were to hold CPI linked bonds plus 4% or invest in those goods immediately. It is misleading when people think that the basket of goods and services of investors are the same as other people.

Since it is the governments responsibility to maintain the integrity of the currency, it can only do so if it maintains the purchasing power of the money it issues. In such a case, if it were to borrow goods and services from investors and sell it to raise funds and at maturity buys the same goods and services to pay back its investors it will ensure that it maintains the general price level in the economy at sustainable level.

I have no problems with forward markets. If there is zero interest because of zero inflation as is the case in japan, then forward / futures markets would primarily have the value of future expected demand and supply. I understand that Islam does not have any restriction to such deals also.

I don`t disagree with you that the Shariah courts have no clue about the key concerns of the investors and barter is the way they will go come June 2001.

Zeemax,

Return on Capital in the current economic environment is not just due to the availability of capital but based on risks assumed; inflation, default, economic risks (equity returns), currency, etc.

Currently, the Islamic banking proponents are preoccupied with returns only for economic risks. they would also pay money for default risks in the form of letter of guarantee from banks. but for everything else you would get no return.

Zeemax,

While I found Dr Aqdas Ali Kazmi article very interesting, I think it would be appropriate to add the following:

1) There are countries where interest rate is not only zero but also negative. For example Japan. So the point is while I agree that all factors of production have a cost attached to it, it is not necessary that the cost has to be different than zero under certain circumstances.

Interest rates are determined based on investors and borrowers view of inflation, default and a combination of the two. So if the borrower feels that the inflation on the goods and services he wishes to acquire will have a higher inflation than that is embedded in the interest rate he will borrow money.

On the other hand, if the investor feels that the inflation will be less than what is implied by the interest rate he will be a willing lender. This assumes that the default risk would be zero.

2) In Islam what needs to be understood is that in a lending or borrowing transaction it is generally accepted that what is lent should be received back without any increase. As such given the current verdict, I forsee the lenders not willing to lend money but goods and services. So I will acquire a kilo of sugar and lend a kilo of sugar. At the end of the loan period I will get a kilo of sugar back. My return will then work out to be the value i bought sugar at, e.g. rs.20 and todays value rs. 22. The return would primarily be due to inflation and demand supply conditions. However, if the demand supply volatility were to be eliminated by creating a basket of goods and commodities similar to the ones used by CPI or PPI, you would create an instrument would be an inflation linked instrument - acceptable under Islam. Now you are not restricted to using CPI or PPI only for debt instruments but you may create custom made baskets.

Banks would continue to intermediate credit risks as is the case currently between depositors and borrowers.

This Washington Post article is worth reading
especially the Mir Waiz comments on the recent
``Hijacking`` at:

http://search.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/2000-01/14/091l-011400-idx.html

Enjoy

Ras

gymnosophist:

I thought he was a Sindhi, but you could be right. He later migrated to India. Actually, he was hounded out of Pakistan after Jinnah`s death.
Wonder if anyone knows what happened to him?

rgds

t

Re; Concerned #101

Time is running out for a solution of the Kashmir
problem through negotiations.
Sarcasm is helpful if we have that luxury. But
over 1 billion South Asians do not.
I wish us all luck in the year 2K.

Ras

PS. By the way look up a poem that I wrote called
``Kargil Blues`` on the net. CHOWK does not publish
such ``inflammatory`` material.

Bilal:

(and Sameer and Zeemax):

Devolution is not easy. Most people find it very difficult to delegate in everyday life. Those few who have mastered the art of delegation (with variables attached) rise very high in corporate hierarchy.

This is what I proposed in A New Vision regrarding
devolution of power in Pakistan:


A NEW PROVINCIAL SET UP

Create 51+ new Provinces along District and Political Agency lines. Let the citizens directly elect their local Councilors for a maximum of two years. These local Councilors to elect a local Premier from amidst themselves. They will be directly responsible for all affairs in their district and indirectly for the Federal government. Ban all politicians who have held any elected or appointed office in the past 35 years.

* * * *

Not only will this hand more power to local citizens (and politicians) it will negate the negative effects of ethnic and parochial chasm.

rgds

t

Gnostic, Bilal, Zeemax:

.......Re:78 JOGINDAR NATH MANDAL

A friend called yesterday to correct me.

The first ever session of the CAP (Constituent Assembly of Pakistan) was held in Karachi on Aug 10, 1947 and presided over by Jogidar Nath Mandal. The session next day, on Aug 11, was presided by M.A. Jinnah. It was at this session Jinnah was formally awarded the title Quaide-e-Azam.

I know very little about Mr. Mandal. As you pointed out, Gnostic, He was the Law member in the interim cabinet. MR. Mandal was a Sindhi lawyer and Pakistan`s first Law Minister. As that assembly was a constituent assembly, Jinnah`s choice of Mandal indicates his thinking, much to the chagrin of latter day fundos.

rgds

t

As a follow up to ``Concerned`` in #84 a VERY
DISTURBING article in the Hindustan Times today.
Things appear to be heading in the wrong direction in South Asia. Read it at:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/140100/detOPI01.htm

Ras

RE: Reply #: 80 concerned

I met and interviewd Abdul Gani Lone AFTER Kargil. He was unhappy that Pakistan withdrew.
At no instance was he indicative of having tilted
towards India.
If you wish you can look for my two articles
on his Northern California visit by searching the
net. CHOWK of course does not publish such material.
On your question of our lack of concern for areas
that Pakistan gifted to China, you are correct
that we are not concerned, because the land given
has had minimal impact on the Kashmiri population.
And by the way ``good luck`` on the getting back
the larger gift that India ``gave`` to China in 62.
You are doing a great disservice to people of India and Pakistan by quoting these so called polls. If that was all there was to it, India
would have a much stronger case in the eyes of the world.
All I am interested in at this point is some kind of solution. The militancy in Kashmir is
creating havoc in Pakistani society too. Time is
a luxury that we are all short of in this conflict.

Ras

PS. All future negotiations have to keep in mind the rightful place of the Kashmiri Pandit community in this sad situation which is getting
worse day by day. Yes I have met Kashmiri Pandits
too.

Bilal:

Joginar Mandal was the Speaker and if memory serves right he was also the first Law Minister. That gives an insight into Jinnah`s thinking.

rgds

t

Bilal, Zeemax, Gnostic:

Care to guess who was the Speaker of the Assembly on that 11th of Aug?

And what ministry he held in the first cabinet?

rgds

t

Bilal, Zeemax, Gnostic:

Care to guess who was the Speaker of the Assembly on that 11th of July?

And what ministry he held in the first cabinet?

rgds

t

There has not been a lot of discussion on economic policy. So let me say the following:

1) You may boost the economy in the short term by printing money. But people are rationale and would adjust their expectation of future inflation. There have been quite a few studies that support that high growth has been achieved with low inflation. So I would like to propose that intelligence of the people should be respected and not try to hoodwink them into false sense of growth.

2) There is no policy regarding foreign exchange. Currently, the government is pursuing a heavily monitored exchange rate that has the economy dependent on external sources to protect an artificial level. If we see the Indian policy in this regard, they basically follow fundamental economic principles. This means that resources from exports can only be used for imports and the demand and supply of foreign exchange will determine the parity. This is why India has accumulated in excess of usd 30 billion in the last 7 years.

3) Interest rates are segmented in Pakistan. People that invest in government securities like SSC and DSC enjoy a subsidy of 4% over similar rates being offered to banks. This subsidy becomes higher if taxes are considered. The banks pay 55% tax while other investors pay none. It should be noted that the losers are the tax payers. Its not that all those who are retired are investors. In fact 80% of the population cannot even afford to save money in National Savings Schemes. And this segment of the population has to bear the inflation that is caused by the Rs. 22 billion subsidy every year.

4) Taxes would be paid by Agriculturalists as well as overseas Pakistanis. Just like non-resident Americans are expected to pay taxes or citizens of other developed countries pay taxes on their world wide income.

RE: Zeemax #41

Your observations on Sindh are correct but being
a so called ``Mohajir`` (I dislike the label) and
being from Karachi, I still say that the
division of Sindh along ethnic lines would be a
great tragedy.
I still believe that my parents came to their
new home from India to help build Pakistan and
not to divide Sindh. And for myself, the few
Sindhis that I have interacted with over the years
have generally left a very positive impact on my thinking. I would consider the division of Sindh
a betrayal of their friendship and the hospitality
that they showed to my parents when they migrated.
Again, I believe that your observation of the
current divisions between the ethnic groups is
correct, but the remedy is more integration by
``Mohajirs`` into Sindh not less. And I felt the same way about ``Biharis`` in what was once East Pakistan and is now Bangladesh.
On Kashmir, again you are correct in observing
that independence is their ideal and joining
Pakistan a secondary choice (the Kashmir Valley
population). But currently India is running as a distant third in terms of their preference. And they (Indians)know it too.
I have written a great deal on this subject and
am personally not averse to Kashmiri independence
if that will solve the problem. But the problem has to be solved and an honorable solution is a
must for the future of South Asia. I have met
some of the current APHC leadership and it will
take a miracle for India to convince these people
otherwise. They are upset because Pakistanis are
not doing enough for them.
But the ball remains in India`s court. The current bloody status quo is unacceptable.
So from someone who does not hate Hindus, and
wishes (All)Indians well I can only say ``Put your
best proposal on the table NOW``.
It should be the top priority of all reasonable people in South Asia to make sure that Kashmir
does not cause another (final?) full-scale war
between India and Pakistan.
M. P. Bhandara has an interesting article in Dawn
today at: http://www.dawn.com/2000/01/12/op.htm
And I believe that Dilip D`souza has a very interesting piece currently on Rediff.

Ras

PS: I am but a humble observer. I will leave it to
others on CHOWK to enlighten us more on Kashmir.

I disagree with you on two main points.

1) The division of Sindh along ethnic lines will be a disaster.
2) Kashmir cannot be abandoned. According to the logic of Partition it should have been a part of
Pakistan. A negotiated settlement between India and Pakistan on Kashmir is not impossible.

Ras

Zeemax:

Interesting thoughts that I believe you have stated before in other interacts. Just two quick comments.

Obviously this `party` will be one of the two parties. Who will be the other party? And who will decide that.

You solved the Kashmir intifada so simply. As if in a laundromat you pick up a shirt and proclaim it is not yours. I sincerely believe that neither India nor Pakistan has any right to arbitrarily pass judgement on Kashmir without seeking the will of the Kashmiris. (and for me Kashmiris include all those living in Kashmir proper as well as the displaced Pundits and the Buddhits.)

rgds

t


P.S. This article reminded me of A New Vision that was written around Oct 21 and sent off to all leading dailes in Pakistan. Should have sent it to Chowk! The perspective was what the new government could do if it was sincere and to initiate a debate over the proposals.

Reply #: 325 FARANGI_KUSH

I have been crying profusely since morning. Didn`t go to work today. This country has gone to the dogs. I cannot bear it. Listening to Peaceful Easy Feeling by the Eagles.

Reply #: 327 macgupta

Dear macgupta,

How ironic that an Indian should say this. That even Pakistan`s worst enemies will not contemplate this scenario. That there is goodwill in the hearts of Indians for the State of Pakistan. Why didn`t a Pakistani say this ? Noone did amongst the virulent nationalists amongst us.

Thank you macgupta. What will be will be. Ce`st la vie`

Rgds

Zeemax

A friend was picked up in the middle of the night when I was at his home, sipping tea offered by him. His wife was away in another city and his daughters were with him so he declined my invitation to come over to my place for Gup Shup as his kids would be alone. Then there was a ring on the door. He went out bare foot. There was some conversation which we could hear .. it was about some thana. He was put in a van and taken away barefoot as he had walked out. The servant came in and said the police have taken saheb away. I asked where ? They said some thana .. his daughters were crying saying they tortured baba before .. they will torture him again. He was picked up on 14th OCT and released after two weeks after torture because there was no case, punished just for his loyalty to this country. Picked up again on the night of the Judges oaths. There was no one to look after the kids. This is the cleanest person one can imagine, never made a penny from powerful positions. A Senator.

So much cruelty ? For what ? Why ?

Reply #: 323 bahmad

Dear bahmad,

Yes I was angry and frustrated. I`m still very angry at the distant and nonchalant manner in which we are letting our motherland slip through our fingers to fall into the dark dungeons of history, to be referred-to by future generations as a failed state which collapsed. I have been venting these emotions from time to time - this time it happened to be you, perhaps because you being a dedicated and a genuine person for whom I have great respect, I could trust you with a little chafe along with the grain.

I have been admonished rightly by FARANGI_KUSH, again a friend for whom I have great respect. I have taken his advice re Hubb-e-Ali & Not bughz-e-Muawwiyah.

Dear bahmad, I`m not half as angry now as I used to be when the doom-sayers used to tell me years ago there was no hope for Pakistan. I would become enraged and say to them ``This is our country - love it or leave it``. Now, that anger has been replaced with some sadness because it appears the doom-sayers were right all along.

When a great multi-national corporation; indeed a concept of such magnitude which would have changed the entire destiny of the so-called third world regardless of cast creed or colour with an eventual parallel monetary system; was collapsing, just days before it`s collapse a circular was received at all the worldwide offices personally signed by the Operational Chief of the organisation. The circular directed that all the ``commas and full-stops`` should be removed from the next printing of the facsimile cover sheets of all offices because these take up transmission time and thus add to phone bills.

I knew then that it was all over. When the Operational Chief wrote about ``Commas and full-stops`` rather than $ 20 billion of people`s money at stake, I knew he was helpless. He knew what was happening - but there was nothing he could do about it so he wrote about the fax forms. It was just the candle flickering before going out. Now that organisation, in my opinion the most noble venture in modern history, initiated by Pakistanis and nurtured by Indians and Bangladeshis is consigned to the dustbins of collective memory, to be erased completely as the world moves on.

The same is happening in context of this country. When people talk about devolution or visit Madam Noor Jehan or do bhal safai or talk about rooting out corruption, they`re totally out of touch with reality.

Reality and priorities ; I`ll state the reality first :

1) Quote : The News, Business & Finance Review, Jan 31, 2000 [``Unsustainability of the balance of payments is clearly the prime challenge to Pakistan`s economy and the limiting factor to future revival and growth possibilities. Efforts will have to be made to reduce the current account deficit by December 2000 when the period of debt relief expires.``] We are living on borrowed time till December 31, 2000 when the economic day of reckoning arrives. There will not be any further debt-relief.

2) Pakistan is not included in Pres Clinton`s itinerary to the region.

3) Mulla Rabbani on his visit first went to Daru-l-Uloom Haqqania in Akora Khattak, a hotbed of jehadi training before arriving in Islamabad. Once there, all the Govt. functionaries were bowing before him while he stood upright and said there was no question of any deal over Osama Bin Laden. Do whatever you and USA want to do. For refreshing public memory, I will add that the Pakhtun Taliban are a product of Pakistan, we are guilty of their subjugation of the gentle Uzbeks of Afghanistan, and now they stare Pakistan in the eye and tell us to go jump in a lake while we lick their boots as you saw in the pictures.

4)India has made it clear it will not talk with this junta. In the meantime tensions are being raised intentionally on the borders by India as it feels the Kashmir dispute can only be resolved not in Kashmir but across the International boundary in Pakistan territory. All India needs to do is to occupy Lahore and then dictate it`s terms. There`s a post on Hoodbhoy board Reply #: 242 RavianOne regarding this. Pakistan has no conventional warfare parity with India and I doubt it has nuclear delivery capability either. Pakistan can fight for no more than ten days. So time is short to make peace with India otherwise General Jagjit Singh Arora`s wish of having a drink in Lahore Gymkhana by the evening will come true.

5) Altaf Hussain has come out openly for secession with Pakistan. The MQM organisation is capable of seceding through guerilla warfare. Karachi has only one political party and that is MQM.

Above is the reality. As for the priorities bahmed, pls tell me what should be the priorities ? Domestic devolution of power in a ten day war ? It will all be over in the blink of the eye.

I did not waste my time, effort, and energy on starting this forum because even though it`s futile, I have arrived at certain conclusions. There is too much of polarization. People just cannot live with each other. What to talk about Hindus and Muslims, even Pakistanis cannot gather on a single platform. So it`s each one for himself I guess. A sign of Doom. ``Afra Tafri``.

Rgds.

Zeemax

Reply #: 318 concerned

Concerned !

Thanks for the article. The URL you gave was : www.outlookindia.com/20000207/international2.htm in your post # 314. That was shankar jha article in outlookindia.com re war prospects, great article as well.

Marianna Babar`s piece is outstanding. This journalist I can say is not one of the gutter press. She`s miles above. She has true grit and she portrays details which others ignore for obvious reasons. I remember other articles by her.

Yes I do believe there`s not only a rift in the army but I reiterate my position right from the very beginning that Musharraf is just a fall guy. He will be made out a monkey and then discarded, perhaps eliminated physically or something like that as a scapegoat.

Generals Mehmood and Aziz are the real powers behind this coup. Musharraf didn`t even know what was going on till he arrived over Karachi in that airbus and decided to circle over it when the coup was already complete. Generals Mehmood and Aziz decided to make him incharge for the time being at 1:00 AM that night otherwise General Mehmood would be the Martial-Law Administrator or CE for that matter. They let Musharraf be incharge to get the dirty work done by him and then to take the front seat when time is right. General Aziz initiated the coup in the afternoon of Oct 12 and General Mehmood of 10th Corp (the mother of all battalions ?) went along with it with a specific understanding between the two.

Musharraf is just being discredited in public`s eyes with intentional bad advice like the NAB and the Judge`s oaths. He`s being made out the monkey to justify another coup, the real coup !

Anyone who thinks Musharraf, counts for anything in front of the Punjabi corp commanders, or the Punjabi Army, has another think coming. If Nawaz Sharif the Punjabi premier hadn`t elevated the urdu speaking Musharraf to the position of Chief of Army Staff in consideration of the Karachi Mohajirs, Musharraf would still be sitting in some tent in the SSG camps of Tehkal Bala in Peshawar.

Rgds.

PS. Pls post the URL for that newspaper where Marianna Babar writes.

Dear bahmad,

You`re an idealist, still talk about devolution of power when the whole country is going down the toilet for silly reasons. bahmed, I have to say that you have no perception of reality or priorities. Let me tell you, Pakistan is finished as an entity - period. Devolution of power will not save it if even if it happens. You seem completely oblivious of the geo-political realities and the urgency involved. Pakistan will only survive if it recognises which way the world is heading and no other way. Domestic problems are a direct result of external blunders which Pakistan has made .. there`s a whole list. There isn`t enough time to put the internal house in order but the world will still let it survive for it to address the internal issues later if only the external problems are addressed now without delay.

Dear Bilal, the world is one now ! Either you make a `` dairhh eent ki masjid``, or you understand the focus of the world and co-operate to survive with dignity. Forget about devolution, Bilal, talk about survival! In the meantime your CE visits the red-light-area of Madam Noor Jehan in Karachi to enquire about her health .. and her Customs officer son-in-law Hasan Sardar the ex-hockey player who used to import containers of VCR`s and made crores on the loot ( remember general Rani and actress Tarana of General Yahya`s time ? Tarana was renamed Qaumi Tarana and still remembered by that name) Are these people whom you support ? Wasn`t there anything better for the CE to do in Karachi where bomb explosions are becoming a daily occurance ?

Dear Bilal, I`m an insider on a lot of things. I`m a true Pakistani. I know this country like few other do. I wish more people did.

Rgds

Zeemax

Reply #: 314 concerned

The URL was not the intended one. Can you pls post the marianna babar URL again ?

Rgds

Reply #: 306 krashid

Dear krashid,

My suggestion was to form a new province, while Altaf Hussain has opted for outright secession from Pakistan. A new country called Jinnah Pur, like Bangladesh. Our suggestion was not the same. I had tried to pre-empt Altaf`s decision by recognising Mohajir`s rights.

If we prefer to be ostriches we can do that, but Pakistan will be no more. In fact I`m going to start rooting for Greater Punjab if Pakistan`s failed State is imminenet.

Rgds.

I invite comments re the following significant development in the light of my suggestions under ``Provinces``.

Dawn 28th Jan 2000

[Altaf warns of launching armed struggle

By Our Staff Correspondent

LONDON, Jan 27: Muttahida Qaumi Movement appears close to declaring unilateral declaration of independence as its chief Altaf Hussain on Thursday sounded, what he termed, ``bugle`` of war by warning the establishment that if killings of Mohajirs are not stopped he will have no other option but to launch an armed struggle and seek support from a neighbouring country.

Talking to Pakistani reporters at MQM`s international secretariat at Colindale area of London after its formal inauguration, the MQM chief said that he had tried every method while remaining within the four walls of the Constitution but the ``Punjabi establishment`` has refused to accept Mohajirs and the mandate given to the MQM by the people.

``We are termed anti-Pakistani, agents of (Indian intelligence agency) RAW, and anti-state,`` he said while referring to the oft-repeated charges levelled by the intelligence agencies against his organization.

A few years ago the ISI had claimed to have unearthed MQM`s plan of creating ``Jinnahpur`` but the MQM had denied the plan and said it was a conspiracy to defame Mohajirs.

Mr Hussain said the ISI from the very beginning had been accusing him as an agent of RAW, a charge he denied vehemently.

The MQM chief regretted that despite all his assurances to the army and other authorities that neither he nor the MQM, nor Mohajirs were anti-Pakistani, they were being persistently pushed against the wall.

Asked whether he was close to declaring unilateral declaration of independence, the MQM Chief said ``Khuda Karey`` (may God help in doing so).

The MQM chief, who told the Pakistani establishment to take his today`s statement as a ``bugle`` of war, said he was not anti-Pakistani and wanted to remain in Pakistan.

SINDHI-MOHAJIR UNITY: Meanwhile the MQM chief in an open letter, said Sindh had virtually become a colony of Punjab, and that the Sindhis had been denied their rights.

Addressing the people of Sindh, he asked them to give serious consideration to his letter, in which he posed the question: ``Have the common Sindhis of the province of Sindh got freedom after the creation of Pakistan? ``

He accused the Punjabi establishment of creating hatred between the Sindhis and the Mohajirs.

He said Sindh generated 70pc of the country`s total revenues, but its people remained poor and were killed in return for their hard work and sacrifices, besides being dubbed traitors.

The MQM chief also blamed Punjab for creating a rift between rural and urban population through the imposition of the quota system. He said Punjab also engineered the linguistic riots in Sindh in 1972 to create a Sindhi-Mohajir rift.

He said the Mohajirs earned and spent in Sindh and that their destiny was tied with this province. ``They sink and rise together with their Sindhi brethren. It is now their homeland. Please believe me that Mohajirs are not the enemies of Sindh or Sindhis.

Had the Mohajirs been agents of the Punjab establishment, the army operation would not have been launched against them in 1992,`` he said.

Mr Hussain regretted that even today the ``so-called Sindhi leaders`` talked of the rights of the Sindhis but hurled abuses against the Mohajirs.

``Please do not treat me like an alien,`` the MQM chief appealed to the Sindhis. He asked the Sindhi intellectuals and common people to suggest the steps he should take to encourage the Sindhi-Mohajir unity.]

Rgds

Zeemax

Reply #: 291 gymnosophist

Reply #: 282 Umairr

Tell me; let me ask if I may, these beutiful words of umairr which fill me with hope as these did whirl in Umairr`s mind - is this too big a dream to dream ? Isn`t this dream worth dying for more than any other Jehad ? Could there be a better purpose to all our political efforts ?

[.. what would happen if Pakistan accepted the LOC as the Kashmir border. Would that decrease or increase Pakistan`s problems vis-a-vis India? What would change and what would not? People have suggested that India would all of a sudden become friendly with Pakistan. Pakistan could then reduce the size of our military. Spend all that money on civic issues, and prosper. Trade with India would open up. After a while the geographical border between India and Pakistan would turn into something like the USA/Canda border]

Why not ? All of above is possible if we take into account the rational logic of gymnosophist`s response. What do you think as an Indian gymnosophist ? Is it possible ?

Regards.

Zeemax

Reply #: 283 Fuzair

Reply #: 292 Assad_K

[I also thought that CJ Siddiqui was the same man who presided over CJ Sajjad Ali Shah`s dismissal and white-washed the Supreme Court storming case.]

Errr .. Guys, Guys .. please check your facts. The present CJ Justice Irshad is the one who had initiated the move against Justice Sajjad Hussain Shah from the Quetta bench and not Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui. Here`s an extract from The News of 28th Jan 2K :-

[Profile of new CJ

By Nasir Iqbal

ISLAMABAD: Justice Irshad Hasan Khan, who was sworn in as the 19th Chief Justice of Pakistan on January 27, 2000 under the PCO, was elevated as judge of the apex court on April 15, 1996.

Born on January 7, 1937, Justice Irshad acted as Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court from June 19, 1995 to April 15, 1996. He was appointed as ad-hoc judge of the Supreme Court on October 19, 1994.

Justice Irshad is the same judge who, while hearing a petition of Malik Asad on November 26, 1997 at the SC Quetta Registry, had suspended former Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Sajjad Ali Shah with a direction to the President to appoint an acting Chief Justice.]

I wonder then why Justice Irshad took the oath when Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui refused ? Or indeed why did the Junta trust him ? The answer, as they say, is blowing in the wind. Only time will tell O` my friends !

Rgds

PS Assad_K : Look forward to your frequent and creative contribution on this board. You do pop up from time to time but only to criticize .. ahem ..

Reply #: 288 krashid

Dear krashid,

Justice Sajjad Shah was neither NS`s man nor BB`s. He was Farooq Leghari`s man, the president of the time. Leghari when stripped of the powers under 8th amendment had started conspiring with Justice Shah to overthrow the Govt. by getting NS disqualified from office of PM through a jail term. Justice Siddiqui has said yesterday in reply to a question that Justice Sajjad had a ``political agenda``.

Alas, many people believe everything they read in the newspapers. I reproduce here an earlier post (sometime in November 99) by me on the saga of the supreme court storming, which may be relevant under the circumstances.

[Diary of another Coup :

The Supreme Court Storming Episode:

This was an amazing saga. This was a classic story-book palace intrigue. The kind you find in novels of Robert Ludlum. Many friends will find this interesting reading even if it may be just for academic interest. The facts are on record and verifiable.

Here it is :

The rift between the CJ and PM had been developing over the ``appointment of Judges`` case of over a year ago, in which PM had fought and then eventually accepted the Supreme Court verdict of automatic elevation of senior-most High Court judges to the Supreme Court bench even though the constitution allowed the PM to approve

such nominees, and an increase in the total number of judges on the bench demanded by the CJ. This defeat of PM got elements conspiring and influencing the CJ about his new found power.

The contempt case which is cited in this case was fabricated over an incident where PM had remarked in the assembly some months ago as to how the judiciary was supporting horse-trading against his proposed floor-crossing law.

In contempt cases, it`s the judge/s subjected to contempt to file proceedings as plaintiff. Not in this case. The courts accepted a complaint filed by someone else blatantly after several months of the incidence.

When the PM was asked to appear before the court to answer charges, he did so personally instead of sending his attorney (which was unprecedented by any PM in a contempt case) and presented a written apology. Justice Sajjad ruled it didn`t amount to an apology because the PM hadn`t shown enough remorse, and adjourned the proceedings for verdict/sentencing to a few days later. This too was unprecendted as even in small civil contempt cases an apology is sufficient and people are never sent to jail for contempt charges alone.

The day the Supreme court was attacked, the verdict was going to be guilty and a jail sentance was to be imposed on the PM. With the PM in jail there would be a political crisis in the absence of 8th amendment, forcing a military takeover and the CJ to take power in an interim Govt to hold the next elections in connivance with Farooq Laghari. A CJ of the Sumpreme court would have beeen acceptable to the naive public and International opinion. That was the conspiracy between the president and CJ which prompted the attack on the Supreme court to prevent that session being held, just like Bilal`s dad ... *He had no choice *.

What happened next was frenzied lobbying between President House, the Supreme Court Bench, the PM House, and the Army. The CJ shunted around the SC judges from Islamabad to various SC benches of the country to prevent them from Govt contact. The PM`s team went to the Quetta bench of SC Judges (shunted from Islamabad) who moved for a vote of no confidence against the CJ. The Quetta bench convened a full session of SC the next day in Islamabad to seek CJ`s suspension from office. Before the full bench could meet the next morning, all the judges votes were against the CJ. General Jahangir Karamat threw his unequivocal support the same evening behind the Govt by saying the Army would not step-in under any circumstances against a democratically elected Govt. That was the crunch.

Consequently, The CJ hurriedly got a petition filed against the 13th amendment (which had repealed the 8th amendment)early the next morning and suspended the 13th amendment personally, on his own, and without a hearing and without a Supreme Court Bench in session, as soon as the papers reached from the presidency into his chambers. President Leghari`s speech had been prepared and he was to dismiss the Govt. under the newly restored 8th amendment as soon as Justice Sajjad Hussain Shah gave the word. Just then the Supreme Court Judges` full bench took charge just after 9:30 AM and retired Chief Justice Sajjad Hussain Shah and revoked his suspension of the 13th amendment as being totally out of the powers granted to him under the constitution. The game was over. President Laghari resigned the same day.

This the story.

Justice Sajjad hussain Shah is now in the running for the interim Government. That was the kind of Judiciary which was attacked.

Remember, people like Sajjad Hussain Shah had hanged ZA Bhutto after an SC spilt verdict. In murder cases the accused is never given a capital sentance in case of a split verdict because there`s an element of doubt. The judicial principle is to commute to a life sentance in such a case because once you take a life you cannot give it back. In Bhutto`s case 3 of the 6 judges on the bench had declared Bhutto innocent and acquitted him honourably. The other 3 had sentenced him to death. Chief Justice Anwar-ul-Haq cast his over-riding 7th vote in favour of the death sentance and ZA Bhutto, the elected and cherished leader of not only this nation but most of the entire thirld world, was hanged by the neck. This is what made Benazir cynical and to take revenge upon this country...But that`s another story.

The moral of this story is, never believe what you read in the newspapers .. always read between the lines. Pakistan is a country of never ending intrigues. Everyone who tried to do anything for this country was removed and eliminated. The press is a sensationalist media to sell newspapers and magazines. The public loves stories. Najam Sethi of Friday Times was the National Seurity Advisor in Meraaj Khalid`s` interim Govt and he bad-mouthed the country in India. Mir Khalil-ur-Rehman of the Jang-Group who controls the Urdu `` Jang``, `` Akhbar-e-Jahan`` the English ``The News``, was a part of the conspiracy.]

Regards

Zeemax

Reply #: 286 bahmad

Dear bahmad,

I see you are shocked and disturbed over this sudden devolopment re the judiciary. However, this was not unexpected. You will recall I had said in earlier posts that this regime will not be able to function without martial-law. The martial-law had entered with a ``burqa`` on and has just lifted it`s veil. It`s only a matter of time till the ``burqa`` comes off completely and full-fledged martial-law is imposed.

People have very short memory. No one remembers that in 1981 during Zia`s oaths, the judges who refused oaths included not only the most respected constitutional experts like Dorab Patel

and Fakhruddin G Ibrahim, but also Zia`s hand-picked judge for the Bhuto trial Maulvi Mushtaq Hussain (who was called back from exile in London to sentence Bhutto to death despite conflicting evidence), while the Chief Justice Anwar-ul-Haq, whose casting vote in a split SC verdict had sent Bhuto to gallows, was not even invited to take the oath. The treachery of the generals was obvious in that Zia not only got rid of the dissenting judges but also those who were embarassing him with their open subservience. Why should anyone have expected this time around would be any diferent ? Did people think it would be different just because Musharraf appeared to be a nice guy while Zia looked like the hyena he was ? The reality is that military authoritarionism cannot co-exist with checks and balances like the constitution, law of the land, judiciary and a free press. Military is a law unto itself. More repression will follow.

As it stands now, Musharraf has stated that this step is in the national interest. What it means

is that the definition of ``National Interest`` is now entirely the domain of a single person. Ony he can determine what is in the national interest and what isn`t. Not the parliament, not the people, not the judiciary, and not the press.

As to the nature of our state and society, Altaf Hussain of MQM has said that the people of Pakistan are ``tamashbeens`` (spectators) i.e. when there`s democracy they invite army rule, and when there`s army rule they want democracy back. This is so true.

The justification for Zia`s coup was stated to be the rejection of poll results by PNA and the violance in Lahore. The truth was that results of only a few seats were disputed and Bhutto had agreed for re-poll on those seats. The disputed seats didn`t affect the overall results as Bhutto had won by a large majority. However, the opposition parties knew as well that re-polls wouldn`t make a difference so they openly invited martial-law. In fact, a day before the coup a meeting had been held between the lead parties of PNA and Z A Bhutto at the Sihala rest house and a rapproachment had been agreed. Nevertheless, it was too much of an opportunity to have let go by Zia to grab power, so he moved-in the next day before the rapproachment could have been made public. The ``inviters`` naively thought the army will look after them since they had provided them with a ruse, however the same people were ridiculed and humiliated by Zia throughout his regime. The same thing has happened now in the case of GDA of people like Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri. Just as the PNA knew they could never beat Bhutto at the polls so invited martial-law as a short cut to power, the present day non-entities who can`t even win a single seat at the polls made a hue and cry to get in through the back door, but have been ridiculed again. Moral of the story - The army shares power with no one.

As to your question ``do you have any idea where this forum is heading to? Does this provide any indication of the nature of our state and society?`` I would say yes it does provide an indication but only of the extreme polarization of thought. As to where this forum is headed, I haven`t a clue. Where I would like it to head though is a debate on the specific proposals contained in the `dastoor` in the light of the rapidly unfolding events in this part of the world.

Regards.

I thought there was general celebrating in Sindh upon Jam Sadiq`s demise. As far as I knew, the man was generally pretty well despised and ran Sind as a worse police state than it usually was (is).

I also thought that CJ Siddiqui was the same man who presided over CJ Sajjad Ali Shah`s dismissal and white-washed the Supreme Court storming case. Or am I doing him an injustice?

Reply #: 278 rajanjua

Jam Saheb`s family is the true United Nations of Pakistan. One daughter is married to a Punjabi, the other to an urdu mohajir, the third to a Sindhi. If he had more daughters they would be married to Pathans and Baluch`s as well.

His major contribution when he agreed to come back from self-exile at the request of Benazir ( who betrayed him when he arrived )was to create a power sharing arrangement with MQM during his Chief ministership tenure. The MQM people miss him even though he was Sindhi. At that time he was the most powerful man in the country, a king-maker, and dying of chirrosis of the liver. When he died during his tenure there was great sorrow in Karachi.

Jam Sadiq Ali was a man, not a mouse !

Reply #: 270 rajanjua

By the way Jam Saheb`s second wife, the one who lived with him till the end is Hindu. So are all of Jam Saheb`s kids from that wife. Though all of them are commonly known by Muslim names their friends know them by their Hindu names and love them, like indeed I do.

Reply #: 270 rajanjua

Yes Janjua saheb. We should let go of Kashmir. It`s India`s internal problem. That is exactly what Jam Saheb would have said because he was Sindhi. Sindhis always co-existed with hindus in Sindh and still do.

Most people in Pakstan say `` yeh kashmir ka peecha kyoon naheen chorr detey `` Haven`t you heard that ?

Did I hear right ? Did someone say the institutions were being undermined and what ? `` creating dissention within the ranks`` ? Is this better or worse than storming the Supreme Court ?

The answer is very simple. First they changed Sessions Judge Rehmat Hussain Jaffery to the High Court Justice Shabbir when Rehmat Hussain wanted to do justice. Then when Justice Shabbir threw away the files in protest at injustice, the case bounced back to Rehmat Hussain. In the meantime the Supreme Court in Islama