Why Not This One?

The events of May, 1998 have changed some perceptions of Pakistan in
the eyes of the Pakistani-American Community. We have reluctantly
accepted that Pakistan's follow up nuclear tests to India were a
necessity in spite of the far reaching economic fallout. Pakistan
needed to make its statement to India about the capabilities it
possesses and for the sake of appearances let us assume that the
Vajpayee Government's "Bus" initiative in Lahore was a reflection of
some of Pakistan's efforts. Thus with the heated Agni vs Ghauri
competition lately, it (once again) appears that the frontiers of
Pakistan, in spite of the ever-brewing volcano in Indian-held Kashmir,
are defendable if not impregnable. But then why do some of us appear
worried in May 1999?

On April 3rd of 1999, this writer read what can possibly be termed as
a late April Fool's joke and a very distasteful one at that. It
appears that the Senior Editor of the Frontier Post, Rehmat Shah
Afridi, a much admired promoter of education in that North West part
of Pakistan was caught with several Kilograms of Hashish, supposedly
for sale in Lahore. Now one can believe just about anything that comes
out from Pakistan these past few years so some can say "Why not this
one?" Hard as it is to accept, let us move on.

A few weeks later, in mid-April the focus of our negative passion, the
husband and wife "Bonnie and Clyde" team who are supposed to have
stolen more from Pakistan then its it's total foreign exchange
reserves for many years (possibly including the Prime Ministerial
cutlery) are convicted. They are sentenced to prison, are more or less
evicted from their elected positions in parliament and possibly barred
from taking part in the future political process in Pakistan. Benazir
Bhutto and Asif have been the targets of "Ehtasaab" or accountability
process much heralded by the Nawaz Sharif Regime in Pakistan. One can
ask whether this "Ehtasaab" will ever turn towards any other
population of the country but we won't because the Bhuttos and Asif
are people that many Pakistani-American's blame for all failures of
that country that one can imagine in the past 30 years (if one
adds/includes the role of her father). The political father of the
nuclear program broke up the country and the political step(?) mother
of the Ghauri is/was responsible for all of Pakistan's ills since
then. The only problem is that besides the troublesome personalities
of the Bhutto's, which do include their tremendous ego's (against
which no Ehtasaab is possible), they also have the habit of leaving
puzzling legacies. The Pakistani Press has always had a field day at
their expense (and still does), yet they have kept getting elected
back into office over the years because these ignorant people like
this writer somehow think that they owe them something. Anyway as
discussed earlier and before being branded a Jiyala (devoted follower)
of the PPP for life, I accepted the current Ehtasaab verdict by
reasoning that if these Bhuttos are responsible for every ill that has
befallen Pakistan then Benazir must be guilty of various crimes. So
"why not this one?" The much heralded security establishment of
Pakistan that claims to protect it's ideological boundaries was of
course asleep during all these years and has now "suddenly" woken
up. "Shabaash" (well done) guys for protecting us from these Bhuttos
AFTER they commit these "crimes". Hard to believe but let us move on.

A few weeks later on May 4, Hussain Haqqani a well known columnist is
offloaded from a flight to Dubai (where he was to have met Benazir),
and charged with corruption. How interesting that "corruption" only
surfaces when one gives an interview to a BBC television crew
producing a program on high level corruption in Pakistan as Haqqani
did along with M.A.K. Lodhi of the News (who was picked up and
interrogated 2 days earlier). It has been hinted that Haqqani may be
charged for sedition and high treason too. Since I only know him
through some very informative columns of his that I have read in the
Press over the years, I can deduce that his insight and
recommendations for the areas of Pakistani society that need attention
must have been motivated by his corruption and seditious intent. So
once again he must be guilty of various crimes and "Why not this one?"
Hard to believe but on to the next.

And last but not least is The Friday Times Editor Najam Sethi. But
before one gets any further here let me admit that during the eight
years that I have been involved in Pakistani-American journalism I
have met numerous Indians and Pakistanis. But to this day I have yet
to meet anyone who has handed me a card that says V. Sharma: Agent
Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) or Z. Khan: Agent Inter Services
Intelligence (ISI). But as one very creative scribe has already
written in a leading Pakistani Daily (Masood Hasan in The News), Najam
Sethi just might be connected to Indian Intelligence because he has
displayed a unique interest in eating RAW vegetables. And if eating
RAW "Timatar" (tomatoes) and "Muli's (radishes) is not patriotic
anymore in Pakistan then everyone should cook them first.

The infamous Lecture that Najam Sethi delivered at the Indo-Pakistan
Friendship Society in India at the invitation of former Indian PM,
I. K. Gujral was possibly the most accurate portrayal of the various
crises within Pakistan in years. He may not have picked a great place
to deliver it but this can hardly be considered a treasonous act. He
was very blunt with the Indians and REFUSED to accept the
consideration that the current LOC in Kashmir be accepted as a
permanent border between India and Pakistan. Maybe that is not popular
with some sponsors of the New and Improved Pakistan that Nawaz Sharif
is trying to project but unless there is more evidence beyond this
speech to warrant, the midnight knock and physical abuse of one of
Pakistan's most outspoken editors, something is wrong somewhere. But I
will accept this charge in keeping with the various wrongs committed
by Najam Sethi like going to war against the Government of Pakistan on
Behalf of the Baluch in the early 70's. Sethi has flirted with
different ideologies in the past but has lately immersed himself in
negative imaging of the Sharifs and Bhutto's. He was recently engaged
in a Press War against Nawaz and Saifur Rehman, the Ehtasaab Bureau
Chairman. But Sethi must be guilty of some crime so "Why not this
one?"

When Benazir was in power negative discussions in the Pakistani Press
became not only common, but were encouraged and almost mandatory. The
situation looked so bleak that depression amongst the supporters of
Pakistan here in the US reached its peak. But that was Benazir's
government not Nawaz Sharif's. The fact is that few
Pakistani-Americans, including this writer, want the Nawaz Sharif
Government to go unless a very credible alternative can be found. Many
firmly believe that Pakistan still needs all the stability that it can
get at this time. We only ask that the Sharifs try and be more civil
with their critics and not jail, threaten and harass talented people
like Afridi, Haqqani, Lodhi and Sethi just because they refuse to play
their kind of ball. And as far as Benazir goes, this writer does not
believe that it is in the wider interest of Pakistan to force her to
end her political career. But then again I also have a weakness for
eating "Gajars" (carrots). And I don't like them cooked.