In the Supreme National Interest

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.``



Relevant? I don`t know. But think about it.

Umairr #: 228

For obvious reasons, normally I do not jump into these kind of discussions. I`d rather take my own life than bother someone to go to the length of issuing a `fatwa` against me with all its repercussions. And from what little I have understood about you, you are not the fatwa issuing kind.

``To tell you the truth, apart from being a Sunni, I do not even know which detailed sub-sect of the Sunni faith I belong to. Nor am I interested in finding out.``

----``faith``, and ``religion`` -- how would you translate it? Deen or Mazhab? There is a distinction. Majority speaks of Islam as their Mazhab. Wrong. It is their Deen. Mazhab is the more or path one adopts to follow that Deen. Take the Sunnis, for example. They have to follow one of the four Imams ---Abu Hanifa, Malik, Hunbal or Shafii in toto. That is their Mazhab. In the subcontinent, the majority of Sunnis are Hanafis. Hence we can say their Mazhab is Sunni-Hanafi and their Deen is Islam.

(Why is it necessary to follow a Mazhab? Because these Mazhabs show practical interpretations of the Qur`an. e.g. the way one offers prayers. Whether one dons a cap or not, folds the hand or let them hang by the side, what other gestures one adopts -- we mostly unknowingly follow the dictates of a Mazhab.)

``I do not follow any imam.``

----Not knowingly, perhaps.

`` Infact, I am not even convinced that every hadith in every hadith book is accurate.``

----That is perceptive. And right. (Hope am not opening a pandora`s box here.)

In the last 150 years there has been a renewed effort to reinterpret and ponder afresh the attitude of Muslims. Some of the people who have helped along are Mohammed Rashid Reda, Mohammed Abduh, Jamal uddin Afghani, the two Sirs -- Syed Ahmed Khan and Mohammed Iqbal (Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam ----in particular parts of the fifth and sixth lectures) and in more recent memory Abul Aala Maudoodi and Ghulam Pervez. Maudoodi played the part of the defender of the status quo, whereas Pervez openly challenged most Hadiths. Pervez was accused by Maudoodi of denying the authenticity of all Hadiths. Pervez`s stand was that if any Hadith is true, it should stand up to Qur`anic scrutiny. (Ofcourse, this is an over-simplification. To get the full colour one has to read them both.)

(Just a digression: As a summer project I am trying to interest my teenaged son to pick out four or five pairs of hadiths from one imam, say Bukhari, with identical or near identical links and chains of narrators, but with strong and weak, or diametrically opposite, subject matters and judge them on merits. If he completes the project I will ask him to submit it to Chowk.)

``.....I make quite a bit of effort to understand the Quran, without relying on religious scholars, since I feel many of them have contradicting explanations on the exact same verses in the Quran.``

----Unless one is an exceptional linguist and historian, gone are the days when one can pick up an old manuscript and arrive at the truth, unaided. Hope you don`t mind my saying so. Give you a minor example. Take that surah --- Ababil (I think) -- Alum tara kaifa.....ponder over it and tell me the meaning. Then read some commentaries, and most of them are all over, but one or two do mention in their interpretation that the lashkar was wiped out through pox like disease contracted through air-borne insects -- not mini bombs dropped by Hitchcockian birds. And as you read other commentaries you will come across the fact that till the early days of Omar, he used to recite ``Alam tarah`` and the next surah ``Lai laaf-e-quraish`` as ONE surah in salat. Next you should read both as one and ponder and follow the dictates of your heart.

I am not going to answer your queries because (a)they were addressed to Asif and (b) I believe the answer should be sought in one`s own heart.

Apologise for the length of this post and if I have inadvertently stepped on a raw chord.

regards

temporal

re #232:

Tired old joke. As my friend Feroz would say, flogging a dead horse and not knowing it is dead. First used in the last millennium when Senator Fullbright headed Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

t

Iftikhar:

``I am fond of analytical articles which could contribute towards possible solutions to Pakistan`s problems.``

There is an article in today`s Frontier Post. Between his plea for being flexible in diplomacy and inflexible on jumpstarting the economy, he had a lot to say. Just for your pleasure....

* * * * * * * * * * * * *


FEBRUARY 12, 2000 SATURDAY ZIQA`AD 05, 1420
FULL STORY

Let us not be foolish

Ras H. Siddiqui


This article will cover an array of news items and thoughts, which hopefully will culminate into something substantial regarding the crisis in India-Pakistan relations currently heading into dangerous waters. And if countries and individuals in power can afford to be foolish, I hope that the readers here will forgive this scribe`s attempt at ``Qawwali`` (a repeated gospel) as I add my own few lines to the craziness that seems to have overtaken South Asia recently. Let us start with an article published in The Hindustan Times on January 14th titled ``Cost of Terrorism`` by Prem Shankar Jha in which the usual labels of ``terrorism``, ``narcotics trade`` and the possibility of a ``failed nuclear state`` (Pakistan) are discussed. But since we as Pakistani-Americans are now used to such tirades from the Indian press, this name-calling is usually taken with much salt and sent off into the mind`s kill file. But not this time. Prem Shankar Jha for the first time does not stop there but clearly states that India`s patience with Pakistan is at exhaustion and warns the US and other countries that a war between India and Pakistan was inevitable and not far away. M D Nalapat adds to this in Times of India on January 18th ``No More Waffling`` that Pakistan is trapped in a ``hate India`` syndrome. This is because General Musharraf has demanded that Kashmir be discussed as the root of the problem between the two countries (can anyone really argue against this fact?). He mentions India`s error in the ``repeated forgiving`` of Pakistan, which will only give up its ``not-so-covert`` war against New Delhi until India ``retaliates in force`` in a ``big way``. I want the readers to note here that this is not just the ``hot pursuit`` that Indians have been threatening against Kashmiri fighters. An open threat is being sent that after many years India finally needs to convince Pakistan as a whole that it means what it says. And now Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee has even put the icing on the cake and demanded that Pakistan return to India, the part of Kashmir that it now holds. From any attempt at a ``negotiated settlement`` last year, Indians have now come to this stand. They are basically saying that they are prepared to go to war, and prefer the bullet and even the risk of a nuclear war, over negotiations with Pakistan on Kashmir. All one can say at this point is ``let us not be foolish``. Kargil may have been a mistake but the invasion and conquest of the former East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) by the Indian Army in 1971 was hardly endearing to Pakistanis (even as this writer believes that the fault was ours for not allowing the democratic aspirations of Pakistan`s majority to win, and our attempt to crush it by force). Mistakes, misunderstandings and downright hate have led us too long in India-Pakistan relations. It is time to discuss the root cause of it now and that is Kashmir. So unless one is foolish enough to contemplate a war between India and Pakistan and expect a clear winner, it appears that in spite of the foot-dragging from New Delhi, the only thing that makes sense is the negotiating table (which India fears more than war?). ``India on the Defensive`` Washington Post, Sunday January 16th, 2000 (report by Pamela Constable) is the ground reality in Kashmir. And ``Proxy war in J&K will be defeated: Advani`` by Harish Khare in The Hindu, Tuesday January 18, 2000 talks of a new ``offensive strategy``, one that unfortunately could also produce a disaster and does not recognize this ground reality. Now to Pakistan and what is going on over there with the trial of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. General Musharraf may not be very aware of how this trial and the resignation of Supreme Court Chief Justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui (he sure surprised many people), is making Pakistan look internationally, so let us look at just one example. The Sacramento Bee of California`s capital city in an editorial ``Pakistan`s worst enemy`` of Tuesday February 1, 2000 has certainly made a very convincing argument that even though the Clinton Administration is trying not to worsen relations with Pakistan, the Pakistani leadership itself was not making things easy. Now the Sacramento Bee is my hometown newspaper and is not the New York Times, Los Angeles Times or Washington Post. If even it can point out something basically wrong with what is going on in Pakistan then there is cause for concern. And since I have not seen too many white crows (Safed Kawway) in my life and am trying to fathom the trial of an elected former prime minister on charges of ``hijacking``, ``kidnapping`` and ``attempted murder``, I still find myself looking for that elusive white crow. This scribe has now come to the conclusion that except for the policy of promoting the just resolution of Kashmir with India, there is little else that I can find agreement with in the policies of the current military regime in Pakistan. Its first 100 days in power have been spent wastefully, while looking for skeletons in a rather bare closet (A friend of mine whom I consider to be a man of integrity has been in jail for over 90 days now. I`d sure like to know what the charges are against him). So let`s not be foolish and go to battle against the Nawaz windmill. It is time that the former prime minister went on an extended vacation, preferably overseas. What Pakistani-Americans do not do well is take sides when Pakistanis themselves cannot agree on something. But in principle one has to support democracy. Thus far one elected prime minister in Pakistan has been physically eliminated and two have had their character assassinated (Benazir and Nawaz). How ironic it was recently to have Benazir Bhutto plead with President Clinton on Pakistan`s behalf to make a stopover there on his coming trip to South Asia. No matter what her reasons, and from someone who does not wish to see the owners of Bambino Cinema (Zardaris) running the Pakistani economy once again, one can express thanks to her. So let us as a people not be foolish and jump to the condemnation of our elected leaders because they are now out of power and it is fashionable at that time. This trial of Nawaz Sharif is making Pakistanis look very bad abroad in spite of the popularity of the military takeover in Pakistan. Now let me address the Pakistani and Indian-American communities in the US. Isn`t it time we resolved Kashmir and moved on? How long will we wait for the Americans to come and help Pakistan? And will Indian-Americans wait the same length of time for the US to help them? The situation in Kashmir is a dangerous stalemate. Would it not be best, if the three parties (let us not forget the Kashmiris, including the Hindu Pandits) to this conflict are locked up in a room till they can come up with an agreement? The situation is indeed complicated. This is not just a ``proxy war`` as the Indian establishment would have us believe. India`s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru had made a documented commitment to include the will of the Kashmiri people in the future status of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. That is where the Indians perceive their defeat. Shaikh Abdullah the ``Kashmiri Lion`` also messed up the future of his people and complicated an early resolution in favour of Pakistan. That is where we lost. The Kashmiris themselves have been suffering ever since and have resorted to an armed struggle since 1989 which has the support of their majority and Pakistan. But what can and should we do now? We as Pakistani and as Indian-Americans have been interacting with each other here in the United States for years. As a Pakistan Link editorial recently pointed, it is not in the interest of Indians as a whole to have Pakistan labelled by the United States as a state that is a sponsor of terrorism. I hope that some Indian-Americans read that very carefully. In the United States, we as people of South Asian origin are fully entitled to support our respective countries. But let us not be foolish. America can support or drop any country at any time in its own interest. Are we forgetting Iran and Iraq? To the world and ourselves we will always collectively be South Asian ``desis``. We cannot promote a war in South Asia. After the introduction of the nuclear dimension, a war between India and Pakistan will have TWO losers. And we as ``desis`` must resist the temptation to promote such an occurrence at any costs. What we have to collectively find out at this time is, what solution were Nawaz Sharif`s special envoy Niaz Naik and PM Vajpayee`s special envoy R.K. Mishra working on for Kashmir last year? Would it even be realistic to divide the land of the state 50/50 (a suggestion I can support)? A Track-II diplomacy continuation may be the only safe way left to go. Unfortunately, thus far the only good reference I have found on this subject is from The Statesman (Calcutta) Saturday 16 October 1999 ``Special Article: Niaz Naik III`` by veteran writer A.G. Noorani. What one has to find out is whether this interaction between Naik and Mishra was a non-starter like the Siachen Accord in 1989 when an agreement on the glacier was ``agreed upon`` and then revoked by India as a misunderstanding? Now to continue along the lines of foolishness, let us enter into the American mainstream. Since Indian and Pakistani-Americans do not hate each other and have learnt to coexist quite well here in the United States (several Pakistanis have married into the Indian-Muslim community), they continue to lobby for their countries of origin in Washington and in the letters to the editor and opinion pages of American newspapers. But have we seriously ever thought of what America wants out of the Kashmir problem? (That will be a topic of another writing since this one is already too long). The currently trend in American newspapers is that of demonising of Pakistan, something that Indian readers can feel elated about but question. Jim Hoagland in ``Turn-the-other-cheek diplomacy`` in the Washington Post of Thursday, January 27 has been especially unkind towards Pakistan. One can even go as far as to say that this is the kind of Viagra that India can unfortunately get carried away with and become encouraged to pursue a military solution (while Pakistan is being put on the mat). But let us not be foolish. America has its own interests in keeping the Kashmiri ball in the air. South Asian ``expert`` Selig Harrison does not do justice to Kashmiris who cry for ``Azadi`` (freedom). In an article ``Use Leverage on Pakistan While We Can`` (Los Angeles Times, January 18, 2000) he dissects the Pakistani military`s top individuals and it`s intentions of suppressing the Kashmiri pursuit of ``autonomy``. Concern for ``Islamic extremism`` in Pakistan today rules the print media in the US. Little is said of who left this mess for the Pakistanis to deal with in the first place. The Kashmiri pursuit of ``autonomy`` also makes an appearance in another article in the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday, February 2, 2000 by ``Pakistan analyst`` Mansoor Ijaz. Maybe this is a coincidence but here again in this article ``Azadi`` (freedom) seems to mean autonomy (a Washington-inspired translation?). In conclusion and one last time, let us not be foolish. The cards being dealt are going against Pakistan at the moment. And if one is allowed to suggest something to Pakistan`s military today it is ``be very attentive towards what the world is saying``. It is time to be very suspicious of all ``released`` or ``escaped`` militants or ``hijackers`` tied to Kashmir or Afghanistan. It is time to be flexible in diplomacy and inflexible on the issue of jumpstarting the economy. And one hopes that Pakistan will have a plan for an interim civilian government ready just in case President Clinton wants to drop in for a social call. It is always good to remember ``the ideas of March``.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

cheraym #69:

Am glad to see you back here.
Pls contact me:
temporal3@hotmail.com

rgds

t

I agree very little with this article but I must
defend it`s publication on CHOWK.
This writing assumes that the Indians will this
time be foolish enough to have a showdown with
Pakistan very soon. I am hopeful that they will
see their own future destruction in this and not
be encouraged by ``hints`` from others who could
benefit if both these states did substantial
damage to each other. Pakistanis have less to lose in this because they are already down. India on the other hand is on economic take off.
Pakistan should not give up it`s stand on Kashmir
before this issue gets to the negotiating table.
Once there (if ever) it should bend as far as
50/50 and nothing less. That will leave the
Indians to send THEIR best deal possible to the
Kashmiris. And then who knows?

Ras

Iftikhar Rahman #25

Let us face it. Your article was not well thought out. Amidst other blemishes, you overempahsised the role of `accountability` as if it were a cure-all of all Pakistan`s ills.

You say,``The piece regarding the armed response to Indis`s (sic) war cries (which became controversial in terms of the charged responses of respected men and women), was probably overstated by me. But I never knew, until I saw the responses, that very few can digest the views of others.``

How can you deduce this? If you made an statement you should stand in the kitchen and take the heat, not cry wolf. How can you accuse others of digesting what they consider trash?

``Some got too personal and one even called me a ``blighter``!! I thought those who speak for democracy and freedom of speech would be willing to debate than to ridicule..``

In a public interactive forum, one must realise one can receive darts as well as laurels directed at them. So some called you names. Ignore it. But they WERE willing to debate. You are retrieving.

``Since I respect the views of the majority of those who expressed their views on my article (many being highly critical--some launching personalized attacks on my army background and training), I have requested CHOWK to delete my article from their page). Thank you all. I value your views, while standing by my personal views on the problems faced by Pakistan.``

Is this some sort of `strategic withdrawal` they taught you in Army College? Or was it from Giap` elementary paperback--- withdraw, re-group, re-attack? Or is it a total cop out?

Iftikhar, men of conviction do not run away. Stand by your convictions, hold your ground, go down fighting if you must. Atleast others will applaud your sincerity and respect you for it.

If you need help, I am sure there must be some on the net who will come forward. Heck, if no one comes forward, I will. I will temporarily suspend all my beliefs, all I have learned and hold dear, AND get in your psyche and try to defend your views here, if for nothing else, for a learning exerecise that may provide new insights for us.

Will you stand up for your beliefs?

regards

t

PS: CHOWK STAFF

Pls register my thumbs down on his request to withdraw this .....er, piece.

Rehan #4, Fauzia #8 and ylh #9:

Shukria.


Sadhna #10:

Bibi, itna bhi sajeeda na bano. Are you always so serious?

Arun #11:

You say, ``Anyway, it is time to say goodbye to Chowk, Lt. Col. Rahman should be free to discuss undisturbed the revival of long-defunct rules on slaves and what is permissible to be visited upon those possessed by the right hand.``

You cannot be serious? Yaar, aapkay haaN press ki azaadi hai, har kisam ki bakwas chap sakhti hai, phir is bakwas par itna kiyouN bura maan rahay ho? Maybe this is Chowk`s contribution towards ``Trash Parity`` in the sub continent? (Sort of Equal Oppurtunity Trash Initiative?)

Amit #12:

Well said, though I must vehemntly lodge a protest against you with the neighbourhood Human Rights organisation. Trash ya bakwaas ki monopoly
sirif Punjab kay paas nahiN hay.

Veeresh #13:

You got it right, bud. Now explain this from the front business? AM not aware of any `rallies`` at the front. What are you really doing there? Sharpening your reflexes in the crossfire?

rgds

t

Iftikhar Rahman summarizes the ideology I have grown up with in Pakistan. common enemy, the past perfections of Islam, the USA vested interest, national pride; all those values that were dinned into me as a child and as an adult.

At a personal level it saddened me to see this article. I feel it should be read as an important anthropological fact of our times; if after a possible nuclear war our migrated offsprings study the India-Pakistan story--this would be a succinct summary of the middle-class manifesto and generations surviving on military ideals. While the political smart guys exploit these ideas for loot and plunder.

These ideas will not change by brushing them away from the safe havens of Chowk; thus creating a powerless intellectual elite. We have plenty of examples of that. Chowk should be inclusive, so that diverse perspectives are aired and critiqued by all.

Also, the article expressed a solid justification for why the President nor the Chief Executive can never roll-back the nuclear program, and are shilly-shallying about the CTBT. Only a mad man or a man of vision would go against the desires of the majority and the majority is raised on military ideals.

Gar tu bura na maanay..

Iftikhar:

Welcome to the crazy world of Chowk!

One word to describe this article. Incredulous.

With words of wisdom like:

----Modern democracy.... offer(s) a political solution more or less nearer to the system of rule established by Caliphs in the early days of Islam.

Great! What happened in the subsequent 1500 years?

----Accountability of those in power was the cornerstone of the polity and the Caliph was answerable to those he ruled even for the ``clothes that he was wearing``.

That was Omar ibn Khattab. Later, I can think of the other Omar (bin Abdul Aziz) and a sprinkling of few others. But not an overwhelming majority of Muslim rulers.

----- the convergence of interests and the unfolding of the global plan aim at hurting Pakistan.

Sirji, haiN aur bhi gham zamanay maiN......This is, to put it mildly, too Pakistan centric. Nuclear or not, Pakistan is not ``world`s`` priority, much as you would have us believe.

----with the highest tiers in the government setting the trend in the spirit of the caliphs of yester years

Remarkable fixation on the past. Were you Binnori`s disciple and Mullah Omar`s classfellow by any chance?

----In case of a war imposed on us, these armed volunteers can be told that the war booty they acquire will be theirs, just as it was when the Muslim armies fought their successful campaigns.

Sir, are you for real? Or are you trying to be hamidm?

----Vajpayee and Company will shiver with the thought of a well-trained military machine operating in tandem with hordes of armed volunteers ravaging the vast lands of the Punjab Plains/Kashmir Valleys.

And they can read the electricity meters, do the census, and teach merchants and shopkeepers how to keep paper trails of their sales in the occupied or freed territories in their spare time?

----For God`s sake let us practically implement steps in the supreme national interest of Pakistan and refrain from any steps that are meant for the political survival of individuals.

Here, I am truly and profoundly at a loss. Aankh jo kooch daikhti hay lab pay aa sakhta nahin.....

----Please God, bless Pakistan.

Please, Allah Mian, please, Rab meray...please...
bacha lay mujhay!

----I am fond of analytical articles which could contribute towards possible solutions to Pakistan`s problems

Forget your article. Read Bilal Ahmed`s.


rgds

t

Ref. Mushtaq Farooqui # 251

Dear Mr. Farooqui,

``In that spirit in an earlier post I had offered help and materials for an educational training system based on the ``The Future Scientists and Engineers of America``.

That offer is still open. ``

I sincerely wish people in pakistan and India respond to your generous offer. Also hope expats in USA spend money on your project or something similar than on madrassahs and temples.

Mushtaq #251

Agreed - the real fight is with poverty, and I am sure many chowkwallahs would be glad to discuss this question and many are already doing something to help. I find it troubling that the discussions on chowk have started to get increasingly overtaken by idle mud-slinging matches between Pakistani and Indian posters. Perhaps you should contribute an article to chowk on any of the several important ideas you raise in your letter.

Re: Rajanjua`s posts

Keep up the good work friend. Do not let up on the unGodly! I was particularly repulsed by the Imam Malik story but it is examples like these, cited glowingly by the brain-dead beardos, that prove that the worst things said by the Hindus and Christians and any other anti-Muslim usually have more than a grain of truth to them.

Once upon a time, in my misspent youth, I used to defend Islam and Muslim practices and try to rationalize it but I realized a while ago that it cannot be defended as the literal word of God. I fear for all of us that so many of us think that the only hope for us is to regress back to the 7th century.

To quote a Turkish friend of mine`s uncle: Alhamdulillah, I am a Kemalist!

If the whole world is allied against Paksitan, perhaps its time for introspection.

Are you really as innocent as this passgage alludes ?

kafir kahn #200 writes: ``It is the shameful saga of surrender of 90000 Pakistani soldiers in the Race Course of Dhaka``

I have heard this refrain (shameful surrender) zillions of times from fellow Pakistanis. Relax. There is no shame in ending fighting and saving thousands of lives. However, dont relax too much since there is something very shameful in something else: Despite strong evidence of mass rapes and killings, no attempt has been made in Pakistan to get to the truth, and identify and punish the perpetrators thereby serving justice, and thereby protecting the honor of the remaining 99% Pakistani soldiers who had nothing to do with this dirty business, who fought clean and with courage in difficult conditions. And spare me your armchair bravery on why those 90000 should have gone down fighting.

Reply #: 190 kafir k khan

[You will invite Indian atom bomb and the wrath of the West to decimation to put brakes on Pakistan army and Mullah attitude and no amount of Saudi alms will be enough for your survival]

My hats off you ! I agree.

Another Golkandh Time ? We all need some witty text before we all go blissfully up in the mushroom cloud. I heard a senior Govt functionary say yesterday that all we need to do is to kill two hundred thousand hindus and so what if a few Pakistani cities disappear too. On my specific query he said people in Lahore don`t need to worry because it`s a border town.

God help us all.