Children of Dictatorship

well Afiya, u are very right. the basic necessaties must be given to every citizen of the country. the consumerism has increased so is the inflation. the real estate industry is artifially hyped and as a result the rich r getting richer and poor r getting poorer day by day. the middle class is squeezed in between.
just to show how things are going on, i give an example from the city of Faisalabad. This city is a centre for textile industry of Pakistan and there are masses of illiterate men from adjoining areas who work here in the textile mills. these people are now exposed to cable networks which are beaming the ``mujras`` and the masala stuff. the impact is that there is increase in prostitution and sexual abuse ..
there must be some check on the social trends which can only be achieved when literacy is increased in the country. Illiteracy is the BASIC problem of our country and its my point of view that if masses are educated then 50% of problems will die out automatically.

Socialist agenda has repeatedly failed in Pakistan because it rely entirely on the tiny middle calss that always finds itself hanging in the limbo. The middle class sever its roots from lower rung of society because it reminds them of their deprevity and they feel humiliated when associated with it. The powers that be on the other hand has a very exclusive club where admission is quite pricey. So what has happened is that socialist agenda has only produced frustrated radicals among middle class, who would talk about revolutions by day and type their resumes for government jobsby the night. Middle class has no fault in it - that is their make up; middle Class usually is the most conservative of all - change scares them to death. Socialist agenda, however, should have reached the lowest of the low in the society first, if it were serious in changing the political order but the people who championed it were lazy and cowards - they did not hate illiteracy, they hated the illiterate instead - they did not hate the oppression they hated the oppressed instead - they did not hate poverty but they looked down upon the poor instead. And now they think that the generation who ``communicates`` with the world in Internet Cafes will bring their revolution. How wrong they are. The middle class generation who goes to Internet Cafe does not go there to ``communicate`` with the world, but to chat and see porno. The key to social change in Pakistan is the very down trodden. He is the one who sets the new political order - he always has - when empowered. Reach him; empower him; and most of all love him.

Excellent article, Afiya Sahiba!
Optimistic!
You want the youth to manufactor their own democracies, but which youth are you referring to?
The Educated ones in the cities or the multitudes uneducated whose one vote cancels out one educated vote.

Re: # 2
The key to social change in Pakistan is the very down trodden. He is the one who sets the new political order - he always has - when empowered. Reach him; empower him; and most of all love him. Urstruly

Urstruly Sahib, How true is this!
Yet the question is who will empower the downtrodden. It is the upper classes whose power and riches is built upon the blood, sweat, and the negation of the rights of this very downtrodden majority of Pakistanis. The middle classes dont care to uplift the down trodden, for they know that their goal of reaching the upper class social strata requires trampling upon the rights of others.

ShoreSahib

That was not just an idealist talk; what I have proposed has happened before. Take for example the Pakistan Movement; the movement only gained momentum when students from Aligarh and Islamia College - the snooty ones - came down from their pedastals and mingled with the rural and lower class. They held rallies and corner meetings in villages and explained to them what would it mean to be independent. Pakistan was the result of the vote from that class. Both Awami League and People`s Party approached the lower rung of the society - Bengalis won their freedom from feudal-military nexus and PP to this date commands respect in rural class. Both parties in their respective areas caused massive social change because the power of the people was behind them. People never forget when someone does good to them. There are no short cuts to bring positive social change - its a long route- needs hardwork.

Re: # 5

Yes, urstruly, you are right. I saw this revolution in the villages myself in the 70`s. But what happened to that revolution; frustration and disappoinment. It was treachery par-excellence. It was a sell-out with no holds. As a result the people were thrown in the coagmire of obscurantism and jingoism. With the anti-Quadiani ammendment in the Constitution followed by subsequent Ziai martial orders even our identity as a Muslim, the very basis for the partition of India, became questionable. The Mullah-gardi armed with the loudspeaker and the LOB have so terrorised the people that that they are running from the Pakland even at the risk of their lives. There slogan today,so to say, is `Pakistan se zinda bhaag` instead of `Pakistan Zindabad`.

Urstruly Sahib,
The Pakistan movement for freedom was one thing and reformation of Pakistani sociopolitik is another. The snooty ones as you call them and the provincial ones had one thing in common; they were both the subaltern. After Pakistan was created, the very people that were against the creation of Pakistan in the first place such the Mullah Brigade took the reins of Pakistan, and ran with it. The voices of Hindustani Muhajir intellectuals were suppressed in the cocophany of a predominantly Punjabi and Sindhi Pakistan. The Landlords and industrialists usurped all the power away from the People of Pakistan, and the army in order to legitamize its claim to power looked towards the Mullah Brigade, General Zia`s age of terror is a prime example. The secular vision of the Quaid perverted to an ill-concieved Islamic Republic with unjust so called Islamic Laws amalgamated with a British common law created the morally, socially and economically destitute Pakistan we see today.
Corruption laughs cackling with delight, Poverty runs rampant across the land, Women in anguish, children without education, medicine or proper nutrition. This is our Pakistan. Iqbal and Jinnah turning in their graves while the Muslim clergy perverts the very reason behind the creation of Pakistan.
The elite on their pedestals are happy with the status quo and have no desire nor will to change any thing.

Afiya,

You have comletely missed the point, you write as though the pakistani youth are in vaccuum. No they are not, the majority are in the grip of the madrassa system, there are 3 million who have come out of it and more are streaming out. The smart educated ones are one with this youth, they are the ones who sent them to jihad, they are one who managed the encrypted communication system for the terrorists. They are the ones who cocordinate the sale of stolen vehicles to the afghans, they are the ones who have borrowed money in Wana and the pak govt is trying to repay.

The western educated have no role in the pak society, they have no influence and the proof is that 25 years after Zia, despite the democratci and military dictators since then, no one could alter the hoodood and honour killing legislations. More of the same type are on the way, the jirga legalisation in sindh, the banning of music in MWFP.

Pak society is not static, it is moving and the youth are guiding it. What is needed is to accept that there is an evolution taking place. Stop denying this, and there could be a future for pakistan as a moderate nation.

Afiya:

…welcome to chowk…hope you will contribute more and more importantly interact…

zina ul haq’s children? lahol e wala…

growing up shadowless is the dilemma…growing up under decrepit and decaying institutions…corrupt and mean interpretation of laws…that is what i mean by shadowless growth…where sanity and strength is unavailable and replaced by hollow sloganeering…where leaders and elders say one thing and do another…

welcome once again and listen…listen carefully to jay thackeray the armchair expert of what ails pakistan…listen, listen carefully and remember sheikh saadi`s dictum...jay has a solution for almost everything that ails us…too bad he is so lost;)…he yearns recognition as the saviour of pakistan…

lve

t

It is very nice experience of reading Afia’s article. She raise some very valid points, which are truly very thought provoking.

Author of that article claimed that “We also witnessed the growth of a fascistic state”. I don’t know what the real definition of fascist state is, but I can quote & provide the incidences which are extremely fascist but under the umbrella of democratic powers. Military Operation in Baluchistan & dismissal of elected govt. in NWFP by Bhutto was not the fascism. Extreme ragging in 1977 elections & then killing of innocent civilians in PNA movement was not the fascism. Bifurcation of country just to sake to take the powers in hand was not the fascism.

Afia also said “I grew up in a house where watching censored TV and religio-military spin was banned”. Here another question rose what is the role of religion in daily life, what religion (especially Islam) teaches us? Why we feel so proud after claiming that we are not religious & we are moderate, enlightened or secular Muslims? I think it is not more than a fashion.

I am great admirer of ARD struggle & I believe that author learnt a lot in this movement. I believe that she has realized the difference of educational system in Pakistan. Now there are two systems are running in parallel mode. Here I am not only pointing out the Cambridge system & current govt. system but I am also pointing out the influence & role of private educational institutes. First of all most of the students are those students who can’t get admission in public higher/ professional institutes due to low merit but they have money in their pocket & they enjoy the same qualification.

Afia will agree with me that previously govt. institutes were the center of agitations & movements but now what our generation is getting just “date culture/ dances/ music/ sex/ drugs” but still govt. educational institutes are safe from all these diseases.

Regarding media Iqbal’s point of view is very correct & its not only related to Faisalabad but its happening every where. There is high need of teaching of religious & cultural values to masses through Masjids, schools & media itself.

Jay! Term extremism is wrongly only associated with religion, please also take care about what happening in English medium private schools & universities. Which type of moral values is prevailing here? If there is need of revisit the curriculum of madressas (which is a need) then there is also a high need to evaluate the schools system & atmosphere where 70% of students are getting education.

I am completely agree with Afia’s following statement “For all their song, dance and drink, freedom of expression and buying power, this generation is simultaneously trapped between international Islamophobia and the hijab on the one hand, and a globalised consumerist culture that enslaves them to The Market and its determinants such as the World Bank and the IMF, on the other. Not that much has changed.”

Here I am 100% agreeing that Zia tenure was not the golden era for the country but I also want to point out that the whole picture is not as bad as portrayed here. Pakistani youth is very optimistic & they know what is their destination. For those who are looking dreams that Pakistan will be a secular country, no sir! U r in the wrong train.


KHS

one of the best article which i have ever read here and specially this time by other girl not again by beena shah...........she has inovked some legitimate prongs.
And i would like to say in addition that it is difficult for youth for us to choose the right path.we are chosing what we are getting what we are seeing what we are finding easy to do..........perhaps we are having most favourable time to act whatever we want.........but don`t forget we are having tough competetion...........This is all time easy to say that we have lot more opportunity but its difficult to judge we are in tough condition to chose our career.
You are absoulotly right that by birth we are watching cable we are having the ease of computer along internet.And there are so many things to entertain us.........There are so many fast food restaurant like Macdonalds you named and i add more kfc pizza hut and lot more like this............
But you didn`t mention this that there is absence of wiseness in youth we never been taught what is right or wrong either..........we are only taught by books

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I have a hard time believeing a soft dictator like Zia can have such a negative impact on society. The real problem with Pakistani society (to some extent Indian society) is lack of other institutions - NGOs, press, political parties, movie industry, provincial governments etc.

``soft``??
compared to whom?
he was the hardest dictator we have had...

its all about economics, bread on the table, survival. i wasnt there but maybe the people got together for partition coz they were shown the economic repurcussions of a united india. maybe they were lead to believe that it wud be impossible to live under hindu rule. its still all about that. the rich are eating pasta. the middle class has its sabzi gosht. the poor have their two daalrotis a day, n they are ok, even if it means worshipping landlords.

the system is working. a cart wheel doesnt get punctured.

survival is what the youth of today have been taught and thats what the country is doing. barely surviving.

So you people grew up on fast food. Well, so did we!! chanaa chor garam (used to cost 4 annas). Well written article, and look forward to reading it again to see exactly what it is folks like me - jilaa watan in the 1980`s, 90`s - missed. (annual short visits obviously dont count).