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Not again -
Sometime back I had written a piece on the Kafkaesque nature of our history. The recent events though not altogether unexpected nor peculiar reminded of how the bizarre is almost normal.
What can I say here - so much has already been written and spoken. I do think however that this is a collective failure and not just the doing of any particular individual or institution.
We still have to learn the delicate art of co-existence, tolerance and putting our priorities in order.
How depressing that history is repeating itself!
“Be patient now, my soul; thou hast endured much worse than this.†– Odysseus
November 5th, 2007 at 2:50 am
One would imagine we’d have learned …but no! History, that always rings the first warning bell, unfortunately, also has the last laugh.
Raza, I hope you and yours are safe.
November 5th, 2007 at 5:21 am
I guess this is what power does to a man. Musharaf thinks he’s God now.
November 5th, 2007 at 6:10 am
What do you mean “thinks!!!?” Musharraf IS god now. The kid gloves are finally off… the iron fist displayed in all it’s heavy-handed (if a tad rusty) glory.
As CO-ASS and President, with pseudo-legal sanction, he can issue unchallengeable commandments, smite his opponents, and turn the much gang-raped constitution into a pillar of salt.
All that’s missing is an inch-wide hairpiece on his upper lip, and the adoption of the classic battle-cry Sieg Heil as his election slogan.
Since this morning the following refrain has been ringing in my head:
Don’t turn around, wo-uh-oh
Der Kommissar’s in town, wo-uh-oh
…
Alles klar, Herr Kommissar
If I were a spin doctor in the service of the current regime I’d be busy commissioning a native version of the Horst Wessel. Nothing gets the proles behind you like a good old rallying cry!
November 5th, 2007 at 7:15 am
Raza, hello.
Came to Lums today to find that our Head of Dept. has been arrested. Bilal Manto has as well, apparently. This is a sign of utter desperation . So much for ‘enlightened moderation’. What a joke!
we’re having a protest here at 1:30.
quite heartening to see that a significant number of students have dressed in black today.
November 5th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
I am beginning to wonder whether any generation in Pakistan will be able to say, “We never lived under Marshal law”. This. is. too. much.
November 5th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
When you said - “Not again” - I felt, I am again living in 1969 !
November 5th, 2007 at 10:10 pm
i am reading your article on history of Pakistan, gosh, nice, you give a lovely spin to Kafka
poor old Jew from Prague , might had a heart attack, Pakistani history is too absurd for even the greatest absurdest to handle!
“Absurd” was a good word in European context, it was liberating , thanks to Camus and Sartre , Pakistan is not absurd , i think its more “twisted” or “delusional” or “retarded” .Like living in grave yard of grand ideas , ideas that were understood wrongly in the first place , from “Nationhood” to “Democracy”. Iqbal was too advanced for any one in India to decode ! Jinnah couldnt live to impose democracy , An autocratic democracy , but it would have built an academic base , Bhutto’s socialism was adulterated by mediocres in the new party with Islam.
now Benazir’s secularism seems “out of touch” with reality to all intellectuals who have never known what ideas really mean, democracy, secularism , liberalism,all were “Out of touch with reality” once in Paris , Berlin , Rome and London. We burned Bruno at stake , Pakistan only “disowned” Dr Salam.
“Isms” which no one understands but considers themselves to be an authority , democracy was Restored by PCO. The most corrupt lady of the world kept crying for 6 months that JI and ISI are on a mission to create grounds for Martial law .One useless petition after another, calls for strikes WITH OUT ACTUAL MOBILIZATION, grand receptions for Sharifs without 2 dozens men from Mansoora. But we shouldnt listen to her, she is “corrupt” and has done a “deal”. i have always been critical of empiricism but alas even a Empirical analysis could have demonstrated the nature of the deal! When Hussein Haqqani tried to remind us about history of establishment’s style of working in Pakistan , by writing “IJI Deja vu!” , the poor thing was made a laughing stock!!!. Only Army is not to be blamed , they do what is their destiny in Pakistan
failure is of those who are fighting for democracy but hate politics , and who never knew what Pakistani politics was all about , who discredited every one who could have won democracy for Pakistan , from Hussein Shaheed Suherwardi to Benazir Bhutto!
Democracy has never been won by Middle class professionals, it never has been, it never will be , its for the people , by the people , “The People” are not the Dawn reading , Lums educated clique of Pakistan, Look for the people, look for their parties , no matter how unsophisticated, spoiled or “corrupt” they they might be. Look to India , same people as we are , India is a functioning democracy , why because no one bans Lallo Parsad Yadav , or Rabri Devi , or Maya watti or Lella devi . They are not the most honest and most sophisticated politicians world or even India has produced. But India has learned what is “LOK Tantar”. , Hope that these parties keep paying even a Lip service to Democracy , because if they stop doing so [thanks to the cursing of middle classes] , even Idea of Democracy will cease to exist in Pakistan
This emergency might end , Pakistan may have a electoral process , but what will be restored will not be “Democracy”.
There is nothing to Restore—- , there never was democracy in Pakistan—
Democracy died the day Mr Jinnah dismissed the elected government of NWFP only because they were of different political ideology. or the day Pakistan annexed Qalat.
Dev e Istubdad he , jumhoori qaba mein paye koob
Tu jisse samgha he , aazadi ki he Neelum parii——-
No one even reads Iqbal any more thanks to Iqbal academy and Maudaudi —-, God , save Pakistani democracy from APDM. . Democracy means polarization, not consensus , consensus was in Berlin and Moscow. Trotsky , the political genius once wrote Political alliances follow the Law of Parallelogram , the resultant vector is always lesser than the sum of vectors being added, this is especially true for alliance between contradicting ideologies , APDM is a vindication, the sum is weaker than the weakest of the Parties. , thanks to it PML-N, the Punjabi chauvinists couldnt call a strike in Lahore , and ANP, the Pakhtoon Socialists couldnt get the shutter down in Peshawar.
and Dr Shahid Masood and Mr Kamran Khan wants all political parties to Unite , there cannot be a “Unity” of Political Parties , its anathema to Politics it self, Pakistan needs polarization , so that passion arises , people fight , and win what is there, or loose and Fascism wins , like in 68 you had polarization right n left , only true democratic movement Pakistan saw , from it the only Peoples government emerged , with all its weaknesses and failures , but it was the Only one!
Dont unite rivals , ask them to give their clear agendas , ask PPP to give a socialist , secular and pro welfare agenda , and ask Jamat i Islami and MMA to give a clear Talibanist agenda , of caliphate in Pakistan , believe me you will have democracy in Pakistan!!!
As Fahmida Riaz wrote in the prologue of her epic book. “There is a wall in front of us , we have a choice , either to die lamenting or die by banging our heads against the wall, in that case we would have at least tried to break the wall—”
The wall is same, the heads are same , the choice is ours——-
Shaheryar Ali
November 6th, 2007 at 5:32 am
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|||November 6th, 2007 at 5:48 am
>>> …what will be restored will not be “Democracyâ€. There is nothing to Restore—- there never was democracy in Pakistan—
how poignantly true!
sadder still when brazen champions of
democracykleptocracy like super-millioned mian un’waaz andmohtarmamotor-mouth benny-zero hark back to their democratic salad days (when they were grand with larceny, no?)meanwhile, the people of orangi township and tando jam and pattoki and mingora await the coming of a messiah who will lead them to the (much) promised land on the right side of the tracks — all the while singing “i don’t wanna, i don’t wanna, i don’t wanna, i don’t wanna, i don’t wanna wait in vain.â€
November 6th, 2007 at 7:48 am
Friends, thanks for the comments. I am grateful to Billo for the details on arrests, Id, Chirand for their contibutions.
Sherry has made me think and I am grateful that he took the time to post that comment -
Of course kinkminos with his sardonic wit has added another dimension to this discussion on the sorry state of affairs
November 8th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Pakistani Students in Paris are organzing protest on 10th November, 2007.