Intellectual Dishonesty of Pakistani (Pseudo-) Liberals tahmed32 (47)

MQM is resposible for many bad things, including racisim. But when i look around to see any party which speaks openly in favour of Ahmedis, christians, etc, even at the cost of religous votes, it is MQM. Autonomy of provinces is also an issue which I support, whether u call it anti-pakistan. In any nationalist struggle for independence and autonomy, racisim and hatred type feelings r bound to emerge. Case in point: Palestine, Kashmir, Chechnya, etc. Should we completely disregard Palestinian resistance as anti-semitic? Should we overlook everything just because one big `taboo` is out there? To me, it will be very superficial.

Pakistan as a nation state has failed in assuring minorities of their independence. It is kept intact much like Soviet Union, with one huge central force dominated by panjab. The army is like social security system that is financed by smaller provinces, and all benefits availed by panjab. That is one reason our pro-pakistan intellectuals always look to army as the last resort. Even in Russia-chechnya conflict, the same tendency is seen.

Intellectual Dishonesty of Pakistani (Pseudo-) Liberals Bhtitai (46)

The reason sufis did not specifially promote one sect, or religion is to expand their audience of potential benefactors. Tolerance is also shown by American corporate sector to all nationalities around the wrold (aka H-1B visa), but it does not mean that they r spreading love for humanity, does it?

name calling for punjabis? i have some best punjabi friends. name calling for panjab domination, yes.

Romair (39)

no matter who becomes PM, he/she will take care of ur muhalla kachra and paani ki line. What FBI is doing, what ISI is doing, how much corruption is goingon in army, how many govt owned business r being merged into military corporation---- that would not be the issues to ponder.

Naqshbandi (41)

Well, not just saints of pakistan, mind u. i can not be that specific on any issue :) Any charsi who needs some money to fill his `spiritual` needs, qualifies for saint in any illiterate and superstitious society. period.

sadna (41)

thanks, but i think some critics here want me to get number of boxes of different labels and start putting ppl in it. This is not my intention. the sole objective of this artcile is `r we honest in our intellectual pursuits?`

rozaiba (37)

``you have little substance to state that the creative spirit that Junoon, Imran Khan and NFK have is only pseudo. It`s real. ``

if i have little substance, i would not classify the creations of Junnon, IK, NFK as creative spirit. Junoon`s music and poetry (if any) is based on desperate search for national origin or identity search. That they ended up with some charsi soofis, and their poetry is just pathetic. That they ended up with a biggot and chauvinist poet like Iqbal is equally pathetic. I expect educated ppl to come up with some better creativity, or just shut up. I would have been less critical if they had just glamourized the use of marijuana.

thanks

Intellectual Dishonesty of Pakistani (Pseudo-) Liberals SammerJB (#23)

i think u gotta have all colors of libreals in any resistance movement. I am happy to have Dr. Malik Murtaza (who was shot dead) on PTV lecturing ppl on the `progressive` and more `humane` looks of islam. I am also happy to have Imran Khan marry a jewish descent woman, deny an illegitmate child in USA, and then cheerleading the cause of islam. I am also happy with MMA`s victory. As long as half-religous ppl r not dragged on streets for forced prayers, as long as acid is not thrown on half-religous women`s faces, MMA would keep collecting votes. What I fail to see is a group of leftist purists (Taliban copy of leftists). This is what I am bemoaning about. your contention that state-sponsorship of religion and fanaticism, does not help this, is not something what i would buy. Go to any discussion list, and see what Pakistani writers r saying. They dont have any ISI officer keeping pistol on their heads.

Jay (#24)

I am not sure if i can relate to mohen jodaro. perhaps as much as any sufi buzurg.

Ras (25)

u said: ``It is very difficult to carry on there especially since hamidm left.``

Too bad, we had just one true liberal.

stuka (26)

Agreed.

rozaiba (#31)
u said: ``don`t bring Junoon into your confused piece. ``

Too bad, i just did. Any applicable blashphemey law?

Intellectual Dishonesty of Pakistani (Pseudo-) Liberals veeresh (#14)

ur argument is valid if there is a consensus on the definition of `progress`. That is what i qualified my argument with. If under Qazi`s rule, 70% of dead pakistanis in a week go to heaven (because their beard was long, they prayed 5 times a day at gun point, and could not watch any porn despite wishing to, then it is huge `progress`, isnt it? )

tahmed32 (#15)

i enjoy ur mental agony. The rest is not worth responding to.

shibil (#16)

i do not hold army the main culprit for all mental infertility. There r many factors, but yes, army has a clear stake in continuing a country in the clouds of fear of survival, so that army remains a main pillar of our ideology, if there is one. second, as i said earlier, when we look for all the bad ppl in society, we should start from ourselves. There is not much need to criticise Musharraf, Imran Khan or Qazi Hussain Ahmed. Just our thinking.


sadna (#17)

Pakistan and pakistanis were sold to the highest bidder, in the name of islam or anti-terrorism. This is the biggest prostitution that has occured in recent times. The pimp was no other than the sole defnder.

Saminashah (#20)

As i said earlier, it is not an academic article, definign terms based on liguistics. Who is and not included in the what terms, is left to the readers. Some mental exercise is expected of readers, namely to define a barometer on which they can measure their intellectual honesty.

einsteinwallah (#21)

`yes` to ur question. Any ism based on fear and jahalat is a mob-manipulation technique often named as `mass hysteria`. I would rather like to see promotion of marijuana which is limited to individual use.


Thanks

Intellectual Dishonesty of Pakistani (Pseudo-) Liberals Hi

This is Syed Alam. I have participated in Chowk off and on. I do not know in which boxes temporal, hobbes, sameenashah, sameerj, and other known names here fit in, so i am not going to discuss who is what or what not. I will try to answer some of the queries and criticism here:


temporal (#4)

This is a valid criticism, but i did not try to write an academic article. It is an article exposing the irnony and double standards in the so-called progressive, secular and libral class` stand. The artcile is an attempt to show that recent happenings in pakistan is just a window dressing. bottle has changed but the wine is still old.

u asked if there is one honest intellectual in pakistan? if i try to answer this question, then i would be committing the same mistake that pseudo intellectuals do: searching for heroes. Any honesty in the society begins with the person looking in the mirror. r we honest? this is what we all should be asking us.


hobbes (#5)

I have answered some of ur points above. To add something about pakistani society: I think society has progressed. For one, it is independent thinker. Women participationin education in big cities in one indication. journalism is independent to the extent of few newspapers. Jang type news groups, which always get sold to the highest bidders r exceptions, but overall things look good.

godot (#7)

i like irony, and enjoy it.

SameerJB (#11)

ur take of religion/sufism is good. Any ism in itself has never been a power broker, but a tool of power broker. In this case, I found myself more near to this narcissistic poet, Munir Niazi :) I highly recommend Dr. Mubarak Ali Shah books on the role of sufism in our part of world.

Common Things Hi

Middle class mentality of mixing self-created morals and utility !!!

Lets see, what the premise of this disgust is:

1. A woman should be owned by one man

2. `Spiritual Love` should precede sex.

3. All prostitutes r unhappy.

Not considering any religon (as all religions favor women`s ownership), statistics, logic and history prove all of this premises WRONG.

Prostitution (of men and women, both) is an important utility/service based industry, and its importance should be recognised. If deplorable conditions exist in Red lights area (I have seen that place, and I agree), then something good should be done about it, like:

1. Legalisation of prostitution (so that police do not harass customers and prostitutesm like they r doing somethign wrong, and to make sure that forced prostitution is not going on)

2. Easy access to prostitutes (preferably thru some 800 number or wenb site, so that this mental block could be removed from first time customers)

3. Easy and inexpensive Health insurance of prostitues (to avoid sex diseases)

it is high time that we leave the mentality of Parem Chand and think like Manto.

The Myth of Autonomy

http://www.intl-crisis-group.org/projects/showreport.cfm?reportid=600





``The myth of the good general Musharraf``



Since September 11 and the beginning of the war against terror, Pakistan has been transformed from pariah state to a key diplomatic and military partner for the west. President Bush has praised President Pervez Musharraf`s courage and pledged more than a billion dollars in aid. Pakistan`s assistance is certainly facilitating the U.S.-led campaign in Afghanistan and, given the Pakistani military`s central role in bringing the Taliban to power, its changed posture was bound to make a difference. But the West`s new engagement with Pakistan is based on some dangerous misconceptions - and could easily backfire.

Uncritical Western support for Musharraf is driven mainly by fear of the alternative. Western officials regularly warn that the military government could be overthrown by angry Islamic extremists, while others point to cleavages between the military and the powerful Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to explain away the military`s support for Islamic radicals. Still others justify the military`s control of the government as an antidote to corrupt and ineffective secular politicians. For the West, Pakistanès military government is thus seen as a bulwark against a tide of chaos and religious extremism.

Recent attacks by militants, such as the murder of five people at a church service in Islamabad`s diplomatic enclave certainly demonstrate the dangerous capacity of Pakistan`s Islamic extremists to kill and maim. However, these actions should also underscore the importance of understanding the complex relationship between Pakistan`s military and fringe religious groups. In response to the Islamabad attack General Musharraf sacked the top echelon of Islamabad`s police force, and he and his ministers reiterated their vow to battle terrorism. But Musharraf`s public posturing, which has been well received in the west, has not always been matched by decisive action.

There is also little evidence to warrant Western fears that religious zealots could overthrow the government. There has long been a symbiotic relationship between Pakistan`s military and security agencies, and Pakistani religious extremists. The military has used religious extremists to weaken the influence of its domestic opposition, to promote its influence over Afghanistan and to bleed India in Kashmir. It has been the military`s support that has allowed Pakistani religious extremists to become a well-trained and well-armed threat to regional security. The ease with which the Musharraf government quashed street protests by Islamic parties after 11 September demonstrated that religious extremists pose little menace to a military establishment on which they remain dependent for patronage.

Nor does Musharraf face an internal revolt for cooperating in the military campaign in Afghanistan. The Pakistan army remains highly disciplined and Musharraf should be taken at his word when he emphasises that the ISI remains under firm military control.

In fact, Musharraf`s image as a moderate leader fighting off a rogue ISI contrasts sharply with his past. As Director-General of Military Operations at Army Headquarters, Musharraf oversaw ISI assistance to the Taliban. As Chief of Army Staff, he was personally responsible for masterminding the 1999 Kargil conflict during which hundreds of jihadis were spirited into Kashmir - which almost escalated into a full-blown war with India. After 11 September, Musharraf had no choice in the face of western pressure but to reverse course on Afghanistan and to put a temporary halt to the jihad in Kashmir. Yet, the logic is clear. Since the Pakistani military is the main beneficiary of this changed posture, gaining Western applause and economic rewards, why then would its intelligence arm, the ISI, destabilise the government?

The military government has announced its intention to crack down on religious extremism within Pakistan and has taken a number of important steps to change its policies towards Afghanistan and Kashmir. It still remains to be seen if this constitutes a fundamental strategic shift or a tactical move by Musharraf to secure Western support while maintaining his dominant position. Despite some adjustments, the military`s approach to Kashmir remains unchanged and it remains too early judge whether Pakistan will continue to exercise restraint in Afghanistan. Nor has the military government done much beyond rhetoric to clamp down on militant madrassas and their pupils in Pakistan.

General Musharraf is making an attempt to extend his military rule indefinitely under the guise of a quasi-democracy. By equating continuity with political and economic stability, Musharraf is telling many western leaders exactly what they want to hear. Should the United States and Europe tacitly endorse a military dictatorship with only a window dressing of democracy, Pakistan`s extremists could, ironically, be the biggest beneficiaries.

Pakistan`s history shows that periods of representative rule have strengthened democratic forces against their religious counterparts while military-dominated governments have time and again entered into alliances of expediency with Islamic extremists. As Pakistan approaches elections, there is once again evidence of a new alliance of expediency.

Official pressure on extremist parties is easing and the religious right is once again the recipient of official patronage. In recent weeks, the head of the pro-Taliban Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam, Maulana Fazlur Rahman was released from prison while the head of the banned terrorist organization, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Maulana Masood Azhar has traded his cell for the comforts of home imprisonment. On Pakistan`s national day, the Jamaat-i-Islami was allowed to hold a public gathering in Rawalpindi, the seat of the army`s General Headquarters. Leaders and activists of the moderate and secular Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy were arrested in Lahore when they tried to exercise their right of association.

The contradictory signals sent by the military government will only serve to embolden religious extremists, undermining the international war against terrorism.Unless the international community more clearly recognises this, it will likely cede the current military government far too much latitude in delaying, or denying, long overdue moves to restore democratic governance and create a disturbing impression among the citizens of Pakistan that the West actually favours authoritarian governments over freely elected ones. Giving the Musharraf government carte blanche will only likely drive the country further into its long spiral of corruption and economic malaise. In the interests of Pakistani stability and South Asian security, the EU and the U.S. should pressure the military to withdraw to barracks and persuade Musharraf to allow the Pakistani people to express their will through free and fair polls.

The Myth of Autonomy This article is premised on one thing: ``Quote some white-skin phiosphers, and try to fit their quotes with what happened in Karachi``

So the author is using all academic sociological words by some philosphers and trying to justify the quotes in the khi bombing.

Let me tell u brono, this method of impressing brown ppl is very old. Now ppl demand some originality in work. And this originality can not be achieved unless u stop quoting ppl, and start writing on ur own.

ur concepts of autonomy, shared values, moral beliefs r all nonsense, and do not relate to what happened in Khi.

Lighting The Nuclear Fire http://www.mori.com/polls/2002/kashmir.shtml

Kashmiris Reject War In Favour Of Democratic Means

MORI publishes results of major new survey

31 May 2002

The vast majority of Kashmiris oppose India and Pakistan going to war to find a permanent solution to the situation in Kashmir and believe the correct way to bring peace to the region is through democratic elections, ending violence, and economic development.

They also believe the unique cultural identity of the region should be preserved in any long-term solution, and there is virtually no support for the state of Jammu and Kashmir being divided on the basis of religion or ethnic group.

These are the main findings to emerge from a poll conducted by the independent market research company, MORI International, at the end of April (20-28 April 2002), just before the start of the recent escalation of conflict in the region.

Interviews were conducted in the Jammu and the surrounding rural areas, Srinagar and its surrounding rural areas and in Leh. Interviewers were set quotas for sex and religion (assessed by the interviewer) to match the population of each region.

Although the vast majority in Jammu and Leh believe the correct way to bring about peace is though democratic elections, opinions are more evenly divided in and around Srinagar, with a bare majority (52%) agreeing with this view.

Nevertheless, the vast majority - 76% - of those in the Srinagar region believe India and Pakistan should not go to war to bring about a permanent solution.

There is a general consensus across the regions that it is not possible to hold democratic elections while violence continues – 65% agree while 34% disagree.

A very clear majority of the population – 65% - believes the presence of foreign militants in Jammu and Kashmir is damaging to the Kashmir cause, and most of the rest take the view that it is neither damaging nor helpful.

Overall, two thirds of people in Jammu and Kashmir take the view that Pakistan’s involvement in the region for the last ten years has been bad. Only 15% believe it has been good for the region, while 18% say it has made no real difference.

On the issue of citizenship, overall, 61% said they felt they would be better off politically and economically as an Indian citizen and only 6% as a Pakistani citizen, but 33% said they did not know.

A suggestion that most people do not feel that the current political parties have the solution to the problems in Kashmir is reflected in the fact that around half, or more, of the population in each region agree with the view that ‘a new political party is needed to bring about a permanent solution in Kashmir’.

People in all regions are in general agreement that ‘the unique cultural identity of Jammu and Kashmir – Kashmiryat – should be preserved in any long-term solution’. Overall, 81% agree, including 76% in Srinagar and 81% in Jammu.

There is also widespread consensus on the types of proposals which will help to bring about peace in Jammu and Kashmir. More than 85% of the population, including at least 70% in each region, think the following will help to bring about peace:

Economic development of the region to provide more job opportunities and reduction of poverty – 93%

The holding of free and fair elections to elect the people’s representatives – 86%

Direct consultation between the Indian government and the people of Kashmir – 87%

An end to militant violence in the region – 86%

Stopping the infiltration of militants across the Line of Control – 88%

The critical role people see for economic development in helping to solve the problems is further underlined by the 74% who think that ‘people from outside of Kashmir being encourage to invest in the area to help rebuild Kashmir’s economy and tourist industry’ will help to bring peace to the state.

There is also a widespread view, held by 80%, that allowing displaced Kashmiri Pandits to return to their homes in safety will help to bring about peace.

Views are mixed on the likely impact of ‘People in Jammu and Kashmir having the freedom to travel in both directions across the Line of Control’. Those in and around Srinagar and Leh generally feel this would help to bring peace while those in Jammu take the opposite view.

An overwhelming 92% oppose the state of Kashmir being divided on the basis of religion or ethnicity. There is also overwhelming support – 91% – for a forum in which Kashmiris from both sides of the Line of Control can discuss common interests.

A clear majority - 70% - also support the borders between Pakistani-controlled Kashmir and Indian Kashmir being opened for much more trade and cultural exchange. However, while the views in Srinagar and Leh were very decisive – over 90% support – those in Jammu were much more balanced – 47% support, 53% oppose.

Views are also split on the issue of granting more autonomy to Kashmir. Overall 55% support ‘India and Pakistan granting as much autonomy as they can to both sides of Kashmir to govern their own affairs. However, while the majority in Srinagar and Leh support this, the majority in Jammu oppose this policy.

There are also mixed views about the role and impact of the Indian security forces. In Srinagar and Leh, at least nine out of ten believe that security forces scaling down their operations in Jammu and Kashmir would help to bring peace, whereas in Jammu opinions are reversed.

There are clearly different perceptions of the behaviour of the Indian security forces. Nobody interviewed in Leh or Jammu believes that human rights violations by Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir are widespread, whereas in Srinagar 64% of the population think they are widespread.

Perceptions are different with respect to human rights violations by militant groups in Jammu and Kashmir. 96% of those in Jammu believe such violations are widespread whereas only 2% of those in Srinagar believe they are widespread (although 33% believe they are ‘occasional’).

Technical note

Methodology

Fieldwork was carried out by FACTS Worldwide, MORI`s affiliate company in India, between 20 - 28 April 2002.

In total, 850 interviews were completed, face-to-face, with adults aged 16+ across 55 localities within Jammu and Kashmir. This comprised 22 localities in Jammu City, 20 in Srinagar City and 6 in Leh (urban areas), as well as in 3 villages around Jammu and 4 villages around Srinagar (rural areas).

Quotas were set by gender, religion (assessed by observation) and locality, according to the known population profile of the region.

A random selection procedure was used to select individual respondents.

Sample Profile

The following table details the profile of respondents by locality and religion:

Locality Total i`views Breakdown by religion (observed)

Muslim Hindu Sikh Buddhist Christian

Srinagar 300 292 8 - - -

97% 3% - - -



Villages nr Srinagar 60 58 2 - - -

97% 3% - - -



Jammu 344 103 229 7 1 4

30% 67% 2% *% 1%



Villages nr Jammu 71 21 50 - - -

30% 70% - - -



Leh 75 35 4 - 36 -

47% 5% - 48% -





Total 850 509 293 7 37 4

60% 34% 1% 4% *%

Quotas were based on 1981 Census data (population in 1,000s):

Total pop. Muslim Hindu Sikh Buddhist Christian

Kashmir Valley

(Srinigar & surrounding areas) 3,102 2,977 125 - 0.2 -

96% 4% - *% -



Jammu region 2,717 805 1,803 100 1 8

30% 66% 4% *% *%



Ladakh

(incl. Leh) 134 62 4 - 68 -

46% 3% - 51% -





Total 65% 32% 2% 1% *%

Statistical Reliability

The sampling tolerances that apply to the percentage results in this report are given below. This table shows the possible variation that might be anticipated because a sample, rather than the entire population, was interviewed. As indicated, sampling tolerances vary with the size of the sample and the size of percentage results. The confidence intervals take no account of design effects and, of course, there were certain areas in each region we did not conduct interviews.

Approximate sampling tolerances applicable to percentages at or near these levels (at the 95% confidence level)

Base: 10% or 90% 30% or 70% 50%

850 (total) 2 3 3

415 (Jammu region) 3 4 5

360 (Srinagar region) 3 5 5

75 (Leh) 7 10 11

Source: MORI

For example, for a question where 50% of the people in a sample of 850 respond with a particular answer, the chances are 95 in 100 that this result would not vary more than 3 percentage points, plus or minus, from the result that would have been obtained from a census of the entire population using the same procedures. Tolerances are also involved in the comparison of results between different elements of the sample. A difference, in other words, must be of at least a certain size to be statistically significant. The following table is a guide to the sampling tolerances applicable to comparisons.

Differences required for significance at the 95% confidence level at or near these percentages

Base: 10% or 90% 30% or 70% 50%

432 (Men) and 418 (Women) 4 6 7

415 (Jammu region) and 360 (Srinagar region) 4 7 7

415 (Jammu region) and 75 (Leh) 7 11 12

360 (Srinagar region) and 75 (Leh) 8 12 13

Source: MORI

- ENDS -

A Contrary Opinion Another pathetic attempt at seeking short cut via army imposed rule.

Apologists like Adnan Jilani usually forget that it is any army behind Mush that is ruling, not a single man. They have their interets being preserved and protected by Mush (otherwise one more C130 has to be wasted). What army wants? Punjabistan of pakistan in the true sense of word, and they got a show muhajir boy for this purpose. Soon, every big financial institution will be under army, ensuring theirs and theirs families employment for the rest of their geberations. And civilinas would be left with municipal work (which Musharraf calls basic democracy). The ground work has been prepared. The nest PM will be overseeing the streets of pakistan for their cleanliness. Not that all the PMs were in control of froeign and financial affairs, but this time even the pretence would not be there.

And Adnan Jilani type apologists have to answer some of the questions about the ``honesty`` of Musharraf and army. Two major foreign policies (Afghanistan and Kashmir) devised and implemented by Amry, have drastically failed. Is there any one in GHQ to give an explanation and to point out the ppl responsible for them?

The Last Crusade FerozK:

``if posession is nine tenths of the law, then Israelis have a claim to it.``

So why kick out saddam from Kuwait? He had historical claims and possession both.

The Last Crusade

[ ``The Palestinian suicide bombings, which are a direct result of the Palestinian frustration with the peace process in the Middle East. Without getting into the ambiguous definitions of the term ``terrorist acts``, Palestinian suicide attacks on the Israelis can never be justified as morally correct, no matter what the political provocation. What is of concern, in this latest round of conflict, and what turns this crisis into a potential disaster waiting to happen, is that both the Israelis and the Palestinians have adopted the attitude of rogue states. Neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis feel to be constrained by international law and are openly engaged in abusing the morality of international law by acts of political desperation. `` ]

The suicide missions against civilians/military were undertaken by all sort of ppl/nations around the world and since the human beginings, irrespective of religion, ethnicity, etc. The moral value of any human act can not be set in isolation, but in proper perspective.

[Israel, as a nation, is surrounded by countries, whose avowed aim is to seek its destruction and consequently, Israel is wary of ``land for peace`` political settlements ]

So in order to defeat/control neighbouring countries, palestinian ppl r kept as hostage? pretty good, huh?

[the Arab governments in the region are not interested in safe guarding the rights of their fellow co-religionists and compatriots, as they are in preserving their special economic/political interests with west, notably the United States. ]

[the Arab governments in the region are not interested in safe guarding the rights of their fellow co-religionists and compatriots, as they are in preserving their special economic/political interests with west, notably the United States. ]

Every country has its interests. what is so new? It does not invalidate Palestinian`s claims to their lands if a bunch of dictators r for Palestinan state.

In summary, this artcile is not only factually incorrect, but also a crude attempt of propaganda.

The Aga Khani Farzana

a great artcile. Agha khani phenomenon has always bedazzled me in a strange way. I have had many Agha khani friends, all liberal and educated. One recently converted to sunni, even though he and his family were helped a lot by Agha khan group when his father died. After conversion they were made outcast, understandably.

One more thing that looks weird to me that only shias and Qadianis r made the target of sectarian violence, even though Agha Khanis have more weird and different views from sunnis. To me, the reasons may be:

1. Agha khanis r very influential ppl, so often state-sponsored sectarian terrorism in pakistan, did not target them.

2. Agha khanis r very introvert ppl. No azaan on loudspeakers, no imam on TV, etc. They keep very low profile. Nobody knows what goes inside jamaat khana. Even my Agha khani friends were always shy to tell me that. Only ur artcile has elaborated it for me. thanks.

Why Anti-American Sentiments Exist in The Muslim World The same old victim-syndrome crap!

The Ruined Breakfast It is quite disheartening to see that even ``functionally educated`` (excuse me for making this assumption) ppl amongst us r consciously siding with a military dictator, whose sole purpose, like his predecessors, is to protect the interests of GHQ.

Zia islamized Pakistan,turning it as a front line state against ``atheist forces in Afghanistan`` taking billions of dollars from USA and Saudis. And Musharraf secularized pakistan as front line state against ``fanatic forces within`` taking billions of dollars from USA. The policy has not changed....it is the same as of protecting the interests of GHQ and creating an industry of warlordism (y blame only Afghan warlords for the devastation of Afghnaistan? we have our own share!). No accountability of GHQ...no one is asking anyone for the plunder and war crimes in Afghanistan since 1979. No one is asking for investigation into Kargil, and no one is asking for interfering in civilian politics by army.

The things to come in future r very clear. An obedient civilian PM, and an over powering GHQ. All accountabulity of all civilians and no accountabuility of GHQ. All faults and defeiciencies of the system would be attributed to the personal attributes of some ppl (as escapegoats), and no insitution will be strengthened except GHQ. No question will be asked for the defence budget, foreign policies, and internal security policies.

The Ruined Breakfast

The blame game

By Irfan Husain

As the referendum looms large on the political horizon, the only candidate for the country`s top slot never tires of running down Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto for their blatant corruption.

With great conviction and energy, General Musharaf keeps reminding us that he has rid the country of ``looters and plunderers``, and has ushered in what he calls ``the true essence of democracy``. While he may well be right on the first count, I`m afraid a one-sided referendum of questionable constitutional validity is hardly a democratic exercise.

Ironically, just as Musharaf makes corruption a major issue, President Chirac of France is poised to win a second term by a landslide in the second round of voting in the presidential elections. Clearly, French voters see nothing wrong in voting for a man who has had a number of allegations of financial impropriety levelled against him. When he was the mayor of Paris, he is supposed to have fiddled with the allocation of low-rent government owned properties, and as the president he stands accused of misusing state funds for family holidays. In both cases, he has had to seek immunity from prosecution.

One of his predecessors, Giscard d`Estaing, was famous for accepting diamonds and hospitality from one of the more vicious and corrupt West African leaders. Over the years, many French politicians have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar, but nobody has suggested that the army should intervene and clean up the mess. Italy, too, has been plagued by interminable corruption scandals. Indeed, politics in the country is virtually synonymous with bribery, but the democratic process has not been derailed as a result. The current prime minister has had to fend off a wide range of accusations, but has neither been imprisoned nor exiled.

Japanese politicians from the ex-prime minister downwards have a well-earned reputation for running scams and taking kickbacks from mobsters under the euphemism of `political contributions`. When publicly disgraced, some of them have had the grace to commit hara-kiri. But despite the scandals, there has never been any suggestion that the democratic system had failed.

The United States is the world`s oldest continuous functioning democracy, and its history is full of colourful politicians who thought nothing of taking a commission for services rendered. Indeed, they and the business community have enjoyed a long, cosy and mutually profitable relationship that thrives to this day. Where else would you have the president and half his cabinet with close links to the oil lobby that is benefiting from liberal government policies? And where else could a presidential candidate`s brother determine the outcome of the tightest election in history by a highly contentious count? Despite the outrage over the result and the uncertainty that preceded it, the tanks did not start rolling towards the White House.

For much of his two highly successful terms, President Clinton was the target of accusations ranging from fiscal impropriety to serial sexual misconduct. For months, his impeachment was the focus of much of the world. We spoke of little else as the lurid (and often censorable) details of the Lewinsky case were aired and endlessly discussed in the media. And yet even the most reactionary of Clinton`s right wing opponents never suggested that the army should take over.

The point I am trying to make through this brief summary of political, sexual and financial scandals that have occurred in mature democracies in the recent past is to demonstrate that in these societies, it is the voters who determine the fate of their leaders, and not generals and their civilian stooges. Also, I suggest we put our own corruption in context: we are neither unique, nor original in having an unsavoury collection of sleazy politicians. Even affluent societies have their share of scams and conmen who have entered politics.

None of this is meant to suggest that such behaviour is acceptable or should be condoned. The fact is that in a democratic dispensation where the press is free by definition, law-breaking is enthusiastically uncovered and revealed. Under autocratic rule, information is tightly controlled, as is the press. As a result, many scandals remain out of the public eye. It is also true that human nature being what it is, there will always be greedy individuals who seek to feather their own nests from the public exchequer.

This tendency can only be reduced through a free press, a strong parliament and an independent judiciary. Ad hoc, biased institutions like our current National Accountability Bureau are associated with a government or an individual and generally have a politically motivated agenda.

Time and again, political governments in Pakistan have been first destabilized and then toppled through rumours of real and concocted scams in high places. While there is little doubt that both Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have misused their positions to amass large fortunes, are we willing to hand over our destiny to the army as a result? We have seen that corruption is a way of life in many countries, but they have not discarded democracy. And what assurance do we have that the army is above temptation? If our rich experience of military rule is anything to go by, khaki uniforms and gold braids are no guarantee of clean government.

Much of the accountability that has taken place so far in Pakistan has been flawed due to clear bias. Asif Zardari, Benazir Bhutto`s spouse, has been in jail for six years now, despite the fact that he has not been convicted in a single case. Indeed, various courts have given him bail in all the 14 cases the government had charged him with. Now some new charge to do with the illegal import of a car has been quickly concocted. I am hardly a fan of Mr Zardari`s, but do feel that the ends of justice are not served through such blatant victimization. Mr Nawaz Sharif, that champion bank loan defaulter, on the other hand, has been sent off into luxurious exile in Saudi Arabia.

In any case, it is absurd to discredit democracy due to the acts of a few individuals. Whatever its faults, it is a system that is ultimately responsive to the needs of the people in a way an autocracy simply cannot be. I know we are an emotional people given to over-reacting, but must we throw the baby out with the bath water