Pakistan under its Ethnic Shadows

Pakistan is only and only viable if it re-enacts the constitution of 1973 as it was on October 1999, and get rid of military dictatorship as soon as it can, otherwise there is no hope. I have travelled all across Sindh and Baluchistan in 80`s and early 90s, practically hitch hiking through rural areas, met people and listened to them. Keep in mind that, at that time Urban sindh was fighting a civil war among itself and rural sindh was a no man`s land for non-sindhis and was practically being ruled by dacoits and separatists. The anti-army and anti-establishment feelings were at the highest in both areas. I have come to the conclusion that there is only one thing that can save Paksitan from the carnage of 80`s and 90`s where state power was brutally used to supress any dissent, and that thing is constitution and rule of civilian law. The integrity of Paksitan is in danger not from ethnic faults but because of usurping army and an over oppressive, brutal, corrupt and unaccountable bureaucracy. In case any one has any doubts about what I have said, he must compare his notes with Bengalis.

#27 by ballukhan

You are already scurrying for cover under fire from my counterargument. First you claimed that there are deep religious and ethnic faultlines in Pakistan. When I countered with facts and ground realities about religious harmony in Pakistan between Shias and Sunnis, you are now talking about ISI, feudals, local democracy and Ahmedis.

Once again your argument is frilled with half-truths. Here is some education for you:

Firstly, ISI is a professional organization comprising serving military officers-- not a militia of volunteer Jehadis. It has a charter and discipline of its own.

Secondly, the ISI is not actually growing in size. In Spring 2002, Musharraf shut down the Kashmir Cell of ISI and brought down ISI`s total strength down from 20,000 agents to 12,000 agents. This was reported in the international press as well.

Thirdly, the presence of rogue elements within ISI does not necessarily mean that the entire organization is Jehadi.. or that these rogue elements are powerful enough to have a say in policy making/implementation. A major or colonel does not have the same power as a 1-star or 2-star general. Policies are made by the latter.

Fourthly, the linkage between sectarian outfits like SeS/LeJ/SeM and the ISI/Army is rather flimsy and imaginary. At best it is a conspiracy theory.

Fifthly, the only Shia-bashing in Pakistan happens inside one constituency: Jhang. Rest of the 340-odd constituencies do not experience sectarian polarization.

Sixthy, although you are right about Ahmedi bashing, size of the persecuted Ahmediyya community in Pakistan is small.

Religious fault lines are too weak to destabilize Pakistan. Ethnic fault lines on the other hand are the only threat since the Sindhis and Baluchis comprise a sizable 15-18% of the total population and 56% of total area.

However, a variety of factors have dampened this threat.

Not that same question again! Of course Pakistan is viable, fissures and all that. If it were to dissolve, it would have done so after the separation of Pakistan. Most Pakistanis think of themselves as Pakistanis, whatever else they may or may not think of themselves. So, quit worrying!

Re: Montolives # 1

“If there was aberration it was the inclusion of East Bengal in Pakistan and that has since been corrected.”

Interesting interpretation of history!

Faruk

re: Is Pakistan viable?
Pak is a geographical reality today. The big question as to: is this a viable entity can be answered only by Pakistanis as they know Pakistan better than anybody else. I can make a few generalisations though.
Pakistan would be viable if it puts into place a system that gives every state and every citizen a stake. Every citizen should feel that he ``belongs``. A lot of feeling of ``Pakistaniyat`` today is defined with respect to ``denial of Indian-ness``. Pak should evolve beyond this.
In this, i am encouraged by people like YLH who feel every one on Paki soil is a Pakistani, regardless of religion, ethnicity etc. That is the way to go.

Unfortunately, by sheer size and population, Punjabis have come to dominate Pakistan. They also have an over-whelming presence in the Army. As Army has ruled Pak for much of the last 50 years (directly or indirectly), a feeling of exploitation and being given a ``second class status`` has occupied the psyche of other ethnic groups like Sindhis, Baluchs etc. This is not good for Pak.
How can Pak ensure equal opportunitiies? I cannot think of a better way than democracy. Even if Pak dictators are unable to give up power, they should at least not interfere with local governance of states, districts etc and let an autonomous system (responsive to local population) evolve. That is the only way to ensure Pak`s survival.
Sridhar

re:#24 by HisExcellency
You guys keep harping on the Gujarat pogrom to prove a point but conveniently forget about the Shia-Sunni problem that has split Pak vertically. How many Shia doctors have been killed in Karachi alone? How many prominent Shia and Sunni leadera have fallen to this religious rivalry? I am too tired to keep posting Urls. I am sure you can do a google search and find answers to above questions.
Sridhar

re:#30 by i-am-the-cheese
The answer that you gave may satisfy me but is that the right answer? This is for Pakis themselves to figure out. I obviously cannot know what is going on in their minds.
Sridhar

tahmed sahib:
[ ... ``it means i was born there and thus have emotional attachments to the land and the people``. no more, no less. ...]

This is exactly how I feel too. However, loving the people part did not come naturally. It took some effort on my part to love ALL Pakistanis equally. Sadly, many of us profess an undying love for Pakistan but not Pakistanis. We`re in love with an abstract notion but unwilling to face the concrete realities of nationhood.

Waisay, what`s your take on the whole Urdu/Punjabi debate raging on elsewhere?

Looks like everyone is still busy, at Chowk, re-inventing the wheel! (LOL)

re: ylh

I agree with your definition.


Ciao

#25 by ballukhan

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Yugoslav is the typical example of what happens when a centralized and dictatorial regime shifts towards a democratic system without the democratic functioning percolating down to the grass root level public institutions.
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Knickerwallah!! Apparently you are allergic to facts and counterarguments.

The reason post-Tito Yugoslavia became a failed state was that its constituent ethnic groups had ancient rivalries that had been suppressed by a strong ideology (communism), charismatic leader and powerful military. Serbs and Slavs had historic grievances against Kosovars, Albanians and Bosnians. These historic grievances were not just differences of opininion: they were (irreconcilable) differences in religion that erupted in several bloody battles.

When the overriding centripetal force weakened, these ancient rivalries resurfaced.

In contrast, there is no ancient rivarly between Punjabis, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Baluchis and Urdu-speaking community living in Pakistan. They share the same religion. Unlike Serbs and Kosovars, they have never fought each other on the battle field. Moreover, there is a peaceful political mechanism for all these communities to resolve their disputes. And lastly, the genuine fear of India acts a strong centripetal/unifying force.

There are alternatives to democracy. Whether those alternatives are durable and sustainable is a matter of opinion, not fact. History is dotted with several examples that contradict conventional wisdom. As the Yugoslavia example illustrates, a strong unifying ideology can suppress even bitter Serb-Muslim rivalries.

This is largely a misconception. Although religious composition of Pakistan is Sunni (77%) and Shia (20%), there is no polarization along sectarian lines in Army, industry, Parliament and social structure.
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Actually, during the last five decades a small privileged minority -- feudal aristocracy strengthened by the induction of retired army officers and civilian bureaucrats -- reaped the benefits of economic gains in terms of better training and education, economic prosperity and political participation. The promised and actual economic gains never reached the deprived masses.
These elites in Army, aristrocacy and parliament are not polarized because they share the loot and have monopolized the power in their hands. So, the unity of INTERESTS of these elites is perfunctionary and is made to appear substantial by their cronies.
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The sectarian outfits like Sipah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Muhammad are in fact small (but well armed) organizations. Their total membership is approximately 5,000 members or less. They represent less than 0.05% of the total population of Pakistan. Moreover, their membership has already dwindled because of police encounters and crackdown.
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This is what Mush wants rest of us to believe. But the reality is far from this, the double speak , the covert operations, the new jehadi agents from ISI are even more active after their earlier success and the recent frustrations in Afganistan. They are increasing their tribes and the recruitment is in full swing- the poor people of Pakistan who do not even have any opportunities to rise in the new economies are lured by the visions of 72 hoories, status of matrydom and praise by the mullahs to take others lives- Mush knows the recruitment process very well and knows that he is just killing those groups who are not towing his line- making it seem to the US that he is wiping out the jehadis.
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In practical terms, the only fault lines in Pakistani society are ethnic, not religious. As I have stated in a previous post, these fault lines have already been eroded considerably through a stronger centripetal force and national integration through roads, media, local government system and internal migration.
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No religious fault lines?? You are now forgetting the shia, ahmedia bashing in Pakistan. It is bound to increase now> Infact, the lack of democracy at the local levels just accentuates the frustration amongst the local leaders and the technologies helps them voice their concerns to a even greater reach. The so called centripetal forces morph into centrifugal ones- just wait and see.
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Fortunately, the Musharraf govt has focused a lot of energies on Baluchistan. The Gwadar port, when it is finally complete, will go a long way in correcting the economic imbalance between ethnic Sindhis/Baluchis and Punjabis.
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So much for Mush admiration- as if the port is a personal favour by him to the beggars of Pakistan!!!!

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#22 by gujjubania on November 17, 2003 10:48pm PT
Idiot-Extraordinaire Romair : ``Despite all their complains, every province is now willingly a part of Pakistan. In fact, another (Kashmir) actually wants to join Pakistan. ``
Thanks for the pics- they were great.
Can anybody spot Mushy anywhere in these pictures???
I would love to know where his batallion was when the rest of the guys were bowing down to the Indian army.

rsirdhar
`This is what makes India different from Pakistan. Pak has to prove (to itself more than to anyone else) that it is different from India. That is hard to do.`

pakistan has to do no such thing. comparisons such as these reside in the minds of sad, obsessive little indians like yourself and little place else
good day

#19 by HisExcellency on November 17, 2003 9:06pm PT

Boot Licker!! You may draw the analogy of Yugoslavia and Tito and obliquely justify Mush and his cronies benign dictatorship, but you forget that this is 2003- and Communist/socialist Statecraft is discredited. Blaming democracy for the milosevic episode is just obfuscating the recent yugoslavian history.
Yugoslav is the typical example of what happens when a centralized and dictatorial regime shifts towards a democratic system without the democratic functioning percolating down to the grass root level public institutions.
I believe that after Mush is out, the chances of Pakistan breaking like Yugoslavia would be great because he has ensured his cronies in all the important public institutions turn Pakistani state into a true martial state controlled by the Generals..
http://public.srce.hr/~mprofaca/euroyu7.html

#21 by ballukhan

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Pakistan faces a greater identity crisis than India or France... since in Pakistan the fault lines are religious as well as ethnic.
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This is largely a misconception. Although religious composition of Pakistan is Sunni (77%) and Shia (20%), there is no polarization along sectarian lines in Army, industry, Parliament and social structure.

The sectarian outfits like Sipah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Muhammad are in fact small (but well armed) organizations. Their total membership is approximately 5,000 members or less. They represent less than 0.05% of the total population of Pakistan. Moreover, their membership has already dwindled because of police encounters and crackdown.

In practical terms, the only fault lines in Pakistani society are ethnic, not religious. As I have stated in a previous post, these fault lines have already been eroded considerably through a stronger centripetal force and national integration through roads, media, local government system and internal migration.

But as Romair pointed out... there are economic disparities between Sindhis/Baluchis and Punjabis/Pashtuns/Urdu-speaking community. If left unchecked, this could provide a strong centrifugal force. Fortunately, the Musharraf govt has focused a lot of energies on Baluchistan. The Gwadar port, when it is finally complete, will go a long way in correcting the economic imbalance between ethnic Sindhis/Baluchis and Punjabis.