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CIA and School of the Americas
By
Raymond Ker

America’s evil actions in the past are backfiring on its own citizens today. Osama bin Laden was the creation of the CIA who in 1979 recruited the most vicious and radical fundamentalist fanatics from Saudi Arabia and other Arab and Muslim countries and utilized the enormous budget allocated by the US Administration to train, arm and finance them.  Brzezinski, who was Jimmy Carter’s National Security Advisor during that era, admitted that the intention was to unleash the Mujahideen on the Russians who were supporting the government in Afghanistan. This furthered the Americans’ Cold War agenda but resulted in the destruction of Afghanistan. It also illustrates the sheer inhumanity, racism and stupidity of the US foreign policy.

These terrorists soon became autonomous of their US masters and almost immediately started pursuing their own fundamentalist vision in North Africa (assassination of Anwar Sadat), Middle East, Chechnya, Bosnia, Kashmir, South East Asia and finally, the World Trade Centre.

There are several reasons why have they turned on their American masters in such a spectacularly horrific way. The first really sore point is their perception that the holiest sites of Islam have been defiled because of the establishment of permanent US military bases in Saudi Arabia. This has been a recurring theme of bin Laden’s broadcasts on the Al-Jazeera TV channel.  Another major reason for their anger is the incessant bombing of Iraq and the embargo which has resulted in the deaths of 500,000 children from malnutrition and lack of medicines, and the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of civilians. US support for the brutal totalitarian regimes in Arab and Muslim countries which viciously thwart any democratic or progressive economic reforms is also high on the list of grievances.  Osama referred to “a long series of crusader wars against the Islamic world” from the occupation of Palestine by the British, US support for the Zionist occupation and excesses in Palestine, to the assault on Bosnia.

This pattern of CIA activity can be traced throughout the Third World and can be extrapolated ad nauseam but is seen most graphically in Latin America.

Most people are fairly familiar with the exploits of the CIA over the past half-century but few know a great deal about the terrorist training camp in Fort Benning, Georgia, named euphemistically: the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation – WHISC. It was formed in Panama in 1946 and named the School of the Americas (SOA) in 1963 under John F. Kennedy.  It was then moved to Georgia in 1984 under terms of the Panama Canal Treaties.

This delightful venue has trained 60,000 Latin Americans from whose ranks were spawned the most monstrous torturers, homicidal maniacs, state terrorists and despots, who have terrorized and perpetrated genocidal warfare against the civilian populations of Central and South America for five decades. These are the front-line troops enforcing the US “full spectrum dominance” in the economic, political and military arenas. This includes the death or disappearance of 200,000 Guatemalans and innumerable other atrocities, including the Gerardi assassination and genocide perpetrated by former dictators: Generals Montt and Rodriguez.  In Colombia, 2 million have been displaced and thousands are still reliving the horrors of their torture – not surprising since, with 10,000 graduates from the SOA, Colombia is the school’s largest customer and has the worst human rights record on the continent. This is underpinned by the $1.3billion US-funded aid package of which 75 per cent is lavished on the Colombian security forces, e.g. to fund the Blackhawk helicopter fleets which are used so devastatingly against the population (and the training of helicopter pilots is based at the Helicopter School Battalion at Ft. Rucker, Alabama, which is an appendage of the SOA). The Colombian 20^th military brigade, which was disbanded in 1998 for human rights abuses, was commanded by a SOA graduate.

The El Salvadorean truth and reconciliation commission found that more than two thirds of the worst human rights violators were graduates cum laude of the School of the Americas, while the Guatemalan Truth Commission Report stated that 93 per cent of human rights violations were perpetrated by the military or death squads linked to the SOA, rather than by insurgents. In addition, it was noted that 40 per cent of the cabinet ministers under three brutal Guatemalan dictatorships were SOA graduates.  When the Bolivian regime privatised its water system in April 2000, the resultant price escalation of water caused thousands to protest.  The President, Hugo Banzer, who is also a SOA graduate, declared a “state of siege” and ordered his troops to attack the civilians.

The record shows that these model students also turned up in the security apparatuses of the murderous dictators of this tragic continent: Noriega (Panama), Galtieri (Argentina), Pinochet (Chile), Rodriguez (Ecuador), Fujimori and Alvarado (Peru).  But this is still happening today: Human Rights Watch only last year implicated seven of the School’s darling graduates who were directing the exploits of the paramilitary kidnappers, torturers and murderers in Colombia who have American support and succour. 

And what a fascinating spectacle the world was treated to when in 1996 the US Administration was compelled to reveal seven of the School’s diabolical training manuals which outlined interrogation techniques including torture, blackmail and execution.  In January 2001, when the School of the Americas’ colours were nailed to the mast, the House of Representatives’ fancy footwork merely entailed renaming it WHISC, effectively defeating a bi-partisan amendment to close the school by a narrow 10-vote margin, and it was business as usual. The Pentagon had previously responded to grassroots pressure to close the School by changing the names of some of the most notorious courses, such as Psychological Operations, and substituted more euphemistic titles like Peace Operations!  Detailed examination revealed that little had changed, e.g. “Peace Operations” included military intelligence, psychological operations and methods controlling the civilian population. Paul Coverdell, the Georgia Senator, labeled these  “cosmetic” changes while protesters chanted: “New name, same shame”.   

The School has more aptly been dubbed School of Assassins by Eric Robison who is currently on a hunger strike while serving a 6-month sentence for protesting on the premises. Another hunger striker drew attention to the irony of George W Bush’s call for all-out war against those who ‘inspire, support and finance’ terror when he has not closed down his School. Hardly any mention was made in the mainstream media of the scrupulously non-violent protest on 19 November by 10,000 at the entrance to Fort Benning, when 3,600 of these crossed the line onto base property as part of a solemn funeral procession honouring those killed by SOA graduates. Many were arrested and also face 6-month sentences.

Now what do you think the Bush administration’s response would be to a demand from Latin American countries to extradite the trainers at WHISC for complicity in gross human rights abuses and crimes against humanity?

There is no doubt that many of the thousands of CIA operatives who fanned out across the Third World were trained at or had connections with the SOA.

This brutality is becoming more endemic in the new millennium:  The US Administration now plans to ‘unleash’ the CIA to perpetrate political assassinations, torture and a string of human rights violations (as though they ever refrained from these dastardly deeds!);  “physical interrogation” (read: torture) is recommended by the venerable Newsweek magazine; and George W Bush orders the institution of military tribunals for suspected terrorists in camera and without a jury.

But there is also a corresponding urgency noted in activists and civil society to confront and reverse this cynical trend. If the enormous untapped energies of the billions, especially in the Third World, can be focused in this area a miracle will unfold in the current century.

The need for understanding tolerance between Islam and the west

In a speech I made in Oxford some eight years ago, I spoke of the dangers of ignorance and misunderstanding between the Islamic world and the West, and of the need for these two worlds to understand better the beliefs and values which can bind us together more powerfully than they need divide us.

For, we share as Muslims and Christians a powerful core of spiritual belief - in one divine God, in the transience of our earthly life, in our accountability for our actions and in the assurance of life to come after hereafter life. We also share many key social values in common including respect for knowledge and justice, compassion towards the poor and the underprivileged, and a respect for the importance of family life.

The West and Islam have a history, which has often been closely bound up together. The tragedy - and the reality - is that both sides have so often seen that history as one of conflict and cruelty. Both sides have suffered due to their understanding of ignorance and prejudice. And the extreme and the superficial thinking and understanding of the realities attached to the Islam and West have hijacked our views of each other and time and again for good reasons.

The point is not that either side has a monopoly of the truth, or can lay claim more exclusively to a picture, which is truer. But the dangerous result of each side failing to understand the other is that misunderstandings are perpetuated, and can so easily degenerate into suspicion and hatred against each other. We need, above all, hence, to appreciate how others look at the world, its history and our respective roles in it.

Just as we, in the West, need to comprehend the Islamic world better, so we must also understand - as a part of that knowledge - the extent to which many Muslims genuinely fear our own Western materialism and mass culture as a deadly challenge to their own Islamic culture and way of life.

I spoke eight years ago of “the urgent need for understanding and tolerance between Islam and the West”, which seemed even at that time to be at something of a crossroads in their relations.

That need is even greater now, not only because of the threatening international circumstances in which we find ourselves, but also because of the worries and concerns which exist within Britain between different communities.

We need, therefore, to work ever harder on all sides to understand each other, and to lay this ghost of suspicion and fear if we are to create a better and safer world for future generations. I very much hope that this supplement will help that process.

The above message was from HRH the Prince of Wales

Terrorism has no religion
By
Iqbal Tareen

  I take this moment to honour and remember the heroes of World Trade Centre tragedy. My heart goes to the families of our fallen brothers and sisters and also to all innocent human beings who became victims of group or state-sponsored terrorism anywhere in the world.

This deplorable incident forces us to review the old paradigms. We must take a serious look at the list of threats to mankind and the order in which we must face them. I hope we realize that the New York incident redefines the relationships among individuals, communities and nations. It opens our eyes to a dark side of man and his projected power of hate. It also reveals the ultimate goodness found in the actions of hundreds of those fire-fighters and volunteers who donated their lives to save a fellow human being. Those gallant heroes were not exercising their racial, religious or national preferences when saving lives of strangers in the rumble.

The World Trade Centre incident has put the immigrants of this nation and Europe on a spot especially those whose native countries are directly or indirectly involved in this conflict. We have come from distant lands. We have come from lands of Nile and the Indus; from the heart of Himalayas to the shores of Mediterranean; from Sahara to the chilling winds of Antarctic; from islands of Pacific to the coasts of Atlantic. We have come to America to make it our new homeland. We belong to different cultures, speak different languages, and practice different religions. We come in different colors and sizes, but there is one thing in common between all of us. We are Americans by choice and neither by compulsion nor by an accident.

It is a shame that terrorism has brought America together. But thank God we have come together. What makes America a great nation? Not its skylines, prosperity or shining lights, but the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Unlike other places that we know, one is guilty unless proven innocent. It's the freedom that attracts the millions who break all previous ties to tie into a new and lasting relationship.

Terrorism neither knows any religion nor does it hold any nationality. It can be found at all places where hate possesses the mind and the soul becomes the home of devil. Terrorism is deplorable whether it's foreign or home-grown. It is a predator that needs to be identified and eliminated. The world must come together including civic organizations and the governments to eradicate the causes of this epidemic. We must also eliminate the fertile economic, perceptive and political grounds, which give birth to terrorist infestations and hatcheries.

These are the testing times for our value system. In this somber moment of American history, one might easily detour the path of true Americanism. We must not lose our faith in the goodness of America by compromising on individual freedoms and liberty. We must not give away the aroma of democracy in favor of borrowed tools of tyranny. Let us not second judge the patriotism of our citizens. Not every Muslim or an Arab is a terrorist. Just as not every white man is a member of KKK.

Sindh and Sindhi people have been the victims of terrorism for more than twenty years. The conclusion of Soviet-Afghan war brought very little good for peoples of Pakistan. It only strengthened General Zia-ul-Haq's satanic rule over the country. Backing Zia was probably the lowest moment in American diplomacy. It was Zia who created Talibans, pitched brother against brother, and opened floodgates of arms and drug trade in Pakistan. Hundreds and thousands of innocent people lost their lives to gun and drug culture in Pakistan. Province of Sindh and its citizens paid the heavy price. Under the shadow of international conflict, people of Sindh lost democracy and thus the right of self-governance.

Sufi traditions in Sindh are deeply rooted in the culture and psyche of Sindhi people. They are more tolerant than any other group of people in Pakistan. They are natural allies of forces of democracy and freedom. Having no representation in Pakistan army or bureaucracy, people of Sindh are indifferent to nonsensical regional conflicts, which only tighten the army's grip over the country. In religion, people of Sindh see a true support system and not a militant and judgmental regime of dictates. People of Sindh disapprove of any religious fundamentalism. They will welcome any change that will ensure their right to nationhood, restoration of democracy, prosperity and a progressive society in their province and Pakistan.

All progressive people, especially Sindhi leadership must break its silence to expose the greatest threat to individual and collective human rights of the Sindhi people. Pakistan under the Taliban rule will establish a worst form of "One Unit" ever seen in the history of our nation. It will push the nation back into the dark ages.


SECOND WIND FOR PAKISTAN
As the world turns its attention towards fighting terrorism, Pakistan once again takes the center stage. This time, Pakistan gets its second wind to undo its own creation- the Talibans. Also comes the opportunity for the military rulers and politicians not to go overboard mixing religion with politics. The country whose economy and living standards are totally linked with international trade and commerce and much needed foreign assistance had fallen to rhetoric for the decades. Pakistan's successful alliance against terrorism will bring windfall economic and political benefits for the country. It will also restore its positive image in the world community. This is the best opportunity for Pakistani army to redeem itself from all its past and present mistakes.

For decades, politics in Pakistan has been heading to this conclusion. It will be utterly naive to believe otherwise. It is now obvious that one can't reason with fanatics. I fear that Sindh's cause and the cause of common man in Pakistan will be stampede by rising religious fundamentalism in the country. This is no time to sit on the sidelines. Sindhi leadership along with all other progressive forces in Pakistan and abroad must rally against this madness. For the sake of a few, we must not turn South Asia and of course Sindh into a battleground. We must do everything to bring the terrorist to justice. This might prevent a war in the region. Any indiscriminate war is a collective suicide. No religion in the world allows that. Question is where do we go from here? Here is my humble submission for us to do:
 

1. All overseas and Sindh based and other Pakistani organizations must start with a collective resolution condemning terrorism regardless its philosophical premises and the place of origin. We must distinguish the cause of Sindhi people from the rest. Let us begin with ourselves. I feel we must take into confidence the leadership of at least SANA, WSI, WSC and other key individuals here in North America first. IWRA is one link that exists between these organizations. We could invoke this relationship to initiate some discussion. After arriving at a common ground on this issue, we must pursue at least Sindh and Balochistan based organizations to adopt similar resolutions.

2. In my humble observation, we must not oppose everybody and all the time as we excessively do. We must support all progressive political groups, parties and governments overseas and in Pakistan, which are engaged in putting this Ginny back into the bottle. We have too many conventional and nuclear weapons to go around. We do not want angry men on the triggers. The war against terrorism can be won by winning the hearts of the common man upon the miseries of which the terrorism thrives. A non-violent and durable approach must also be considered.

3. Sindhi and Balochi leadership must take the lead in this situation. They must include Pakistan Peoples Party to launch a combined peaceful struggle against hate groups in the country. MQM, factions of Muslim League and progressive organizations should also be approached for this cause. They must all arrive at the minimum agenda including restoration of democracy, equitable distribution of water between the provinces and attractive economic and development packages to rebuild  Pakistan especially rural and urban areas of the Sindh and Balochistan. People of Sindh and Balochistan must be rewarded for their historic and consistent secular approach to politics.


ADVISE TO PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT
Since its inception, the State of Pakistan has used religion to suppress all voices of reason. Hence giving undue advantage to the religious politics in the country. Now it has come back to haunt it. Assuming that General Pervez Musharraf and his allies in the army want to fight-back religious fundamentalism inside Pakistan and along its borders, they can't do it with the state power alone. Excessive use of state power will moralize the mission of hate groups in the country. It will also increase chances of a counter coup by fundamentalist sections in the army.

This fight requires ideological strength and backing, which can only be found in alternate political movements and parties of Pakistan. The power of reason can be unleashed through restoration of democracy and genuine freedom. Pakistan army should play role of a catalyst in bringing progressive peoples of Pakistan together and delivering social justice to the common man. General Pervez Musharraf must do the following:

Release all political prisoners and allow progressive political parties and their leaders to return to Pakistan to mobilize the masses against this madness. Terminate all witch-hunts against political workers and their leaders.

·Army must not use this opportunity to extend its rule over the country. It must learn the most valuable lesson from the past. Armed forces are not trained to govern but to obey the governance of the people.

·Accept Pakistan as a nation of many nations. Create a tolerant environment in the country by giving equal rights to all religious and ethnic minorities. Guarantee their rights through constitutional protections.

·Provide a strong moral and legal protection to all individuals and groups against mob persecutions.

·Remove politics from religious institutions and religion from political institutions. Stop religious propaganda from state-owned media.

·Use this opportunity to build bridges between the regional powers in the South Asian states. Reduce tensions between India and Pakistan.

·Promote peace and harmony in the region. Make a commitment to assist and rebuild a democratic, prosperous and progressive New Afghanistan.

Iqbal Tareen
Arlington, Texas
Former President, Sindhi Association of North America (SANA);
Chairman, SANA's Sindh Rights Committee;
Founding President, Jeeay Sindh Students Federation.

Rebuilding Peoples confidence
By
Imdad Hussain

Former President Farooq Leghari has narrated some interesting encounters with the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in an interview published recently. These incidents give the reader an insight into the thoughts and psyche guiding most of the whimsical decision of our popularly elected democratic leaders. According to Leghari, Benazir wanted him to sack the then Chief Justice for accepting an expensive gift from her on the wedding of his daughter. Leghari asked, "What happens to the PM of Pakistan if I throw out the CJ because he accepted an expensive gift from her?" She said, "The code of conduct applies to the judges and not the PM."

This unfortunately is the most tragic part of our democratic history during the past decade or so that the elected PMs never bothered to abide by any code of conduct. There may be none perhaps in writing or the Prime Ministers might have not agreed with the proposal of drafting one for them as they consider themselves too sacrosanct to be bound by the Cabinet Division’s guidelines. Whatever be the case, the Prime Ministership in this country has always been run like a kingship and interestingly has always been overthrown likewise!

Benazir continued tirade against the present government amply testifies how passionately our leaders advocate their case on the basis of a code of conduct, which they would never like to talk of whenever they are in a position to implement it. Benazir as an opposition leader was always fond of appointing the judges of the superior courts in consultation with the leader of the opposition. But when she herself was in power, she chose to risk her government on the issue of appointment of judges. As Prime Minister she always insisted that the opposition should go to the courts if it witnessed any corruption in the government. But when she was dismissed on corruption charges and the Supreme Court upheld these charges she started defaming the judges. Again she refuses to accept the verdict calling it "a grave miscarriage of justice." When a low-level intelligence officer speaks in her favor she thinks, "God has worked in a mysterious way" to help her. But when the Chief of an Intelligence agency gives her the proofs of her husband’s involvement in the corruption, she blames the agency for misreporting. She has no compunction of mind in preparing French fries for an army chief as long as he is willing to install her as the prime minister but after her dismissal during the tenure of the same COAS, she started accusing him of conspiring against her.

She has no hesitation in giving the army medal for democracy (popularly known as Bilawal medal in Pak Army) as long as it suited her version of democracy but the moment this honeymoon is over, she starts blaming the army for being insensitive to the democratic values.

She wanted a cessation of political role of the agencies as long as she was struggling for power. But as PM, the same political wing of ISI was used by Benazir "with wild abandon".

This is an endless list. She has never been consistent on any issue. Be it Pakistan’s nuclear explosion or Kashmir policy, she keeps changing her stance according to the audience she is facing. In the West and US she will sound apologetic on Pakistan’s nuclear advances while back home she wants to take credit for this achievement. In the West she describes Musharraf as sympathetic to the Jehadi forces, before All India Radio she criticizes him for supporting the Kashmiris and back home she is trying to woo the General accepting him as the next President.

These somersaults may sound strange to the ordinary citizens but are not unusual in our political culture. People keenly observing political developments find it hard to give a reasonable explanation to the ever-changing positions taken by the leaders.

This attitude stems mainly from the arrogance rooted deeply into the feudal mentality. They want us to believe that they are born to rule. They need not give explanation because they being the more equal are not answerable to us, the creatures of a lesser god, perhaps. It is their privilege to interpret the events and situation the way they like or the way which suits them. The daily Telegraph of November 6, 1996 has described this attitude in the following words:

"At the heat of Bhutto’s problems was her sublime arrogance about having almost a God-given right to govern Pakistan," said a Western diplomat. "That arrogance was never offset by competence or the ability to retain political alliances or choose the right people for the right jobs".

The weekly Elle of October 13, 1997 while commenting on her personality wrote: "With fine hypocrisy, Benazir Bhutto hurries; for example, to cover herself with her "dupatta" as soon as camera is pointed at her. But she quickly discards the cumbersome accessory as soon as they are no alien eyes on her."

Despite all these contradictions however Benazir has never wavered on two counts; firstly her refusal "to acknowledge her own part in her downfall" and secondly her tolerance and corruption for the crimes committed by her husband.

In her lectures, articles and interview she had constantly been reminding the world that "the Pakistan judiciary operates in an all pervasive climate of coercion and intimidation. It functions under the sword of sacking…" She also blamed the government for planning to have her conviction upheld by the Supreme Court.

But all that proved wrong. She must have apologized for having propagated falsehood about the government and the state institutions She must have confessed that a military regime was more committed to the principle of justice than the so called democratic ones including her own. But it will only be possible if our leaders agree to abide by some code of conduct. In the absence of such code they will keep confusing the real issues by floating new ideas to cover up their hypocrisy, incompetence and inconsistency.

Like a skilful publicist, Benazir knows how to plead her case. She has done it successfully for herself and her husband. But she has still to go a long way down the bumpy road ahead. The Supreme Court verdict is no doubt a great moral support. But the facts of the case are yet again to be debated by the trial court. Some more cases are also pending. In the intervening period, she ought to revise her strategy. Instead of further mudslinging the state institutions, she needs to focus on rebuilding all that has been destroyed during the past decade or so – including people’s confidence in the political system. That certainly would be a far better expression of her skill, ability and energy.

The Struggle for Independence
By
By Mukhtar Ali Naqvi (USA)

The whole world knows that the Kashmiris do not want to remain under the subjugation of India and no country knows it better than India. That is the reason that there are 700,000 troops in the state. India cannot convince the international community that Kashmiris have opted to be Indians. Pakistan's stand has all along been that they should be given the opportunity to decide their future which is reasonable and based on the universally-accepted principle of self-determination.

India too accepted it as evidenced by her agreeing to allow plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations. There had been negotiations on the future of the state a number of times. We remember that right from the time of Mohammad Ali Bogra to Nawaz Sharif, there were dialogues to solve the dispute. The talks led to nothing. Extreme oppression and gross violation of human rights made the Kashmiris lose their patience and they launched the struggle for independence. This not uncommon in history. Nations as well as oppressed groups have struggled for independence. This is what is going on in Kashmir now. Free nations have helped the oppressed people to achieve freedom. India now refuses to negotiate on the excuse that cross border interference is going on and that as long as it continues there cannot be any talks. Let us go to the past: When Mohammad Ali Bogra went to Delhi, India stuck to her stand that the state was an integral part of India. There were long-drawn negotiations between Swaran Singh and Zulfikar Bhutto in early 1960's but without any result. There was no 'cross border' interference at that time.

What was the reason for India's refusal to hold plebiscite? If India really believes that the state is an integral part of the country, she should not say that negotiations cannot be held unless cross border interference is stopped. She should have the courage to say: 'Kashmir is an inalienable part of India and no negotiations shall be held.' There is duplicity in the policy of aggressive India. She says that the state is finally a part of India and at the same time says that its future can be discussed only if Pakistan gives up support to the freedom fighters. Economically, Kashmir has become a burden on India. Instead of feeding the hungry masses of the country,
colossal funds are being spent on the army to kill the freedom fighters. Mass killings and horrible violations of human rights are going on. In the past, in towns there used to be one graveyard. Now graveyards are found in every locality of towns where more than 70000 martyrs lie buried. Crimes against women are an enjoyable sport for the criminals of the army. The only reason that India wants to keep her hold on the state is to satisfy the desire of fanatics that they have the power to keep those people under slavery who have a different religion. This destructive psychology will lead to India's final destruction. Time is near when the Indian army will start killing its own countrymen on one pretext or the other. History has proved more than once that evil is self-destructive.

Earthquake: An eye-opening disaster

By
Syed Atiq ul Hassan (Australia)

According to the Indian government sources anywhere between 20,000 and 100,000 people are said to have died, and many thousands horribly injured, in the recent earthquake in the Indian State of Gujrat. There was complete mayhem in the mostly affected cities and villages.

Despite being the two major areas affected by the earthquake, the main cities of Gujrat State, the medical relief services just could not cope, the municipal authorities just sat back and waited until help arrived they did not have either the training, or the resources to do their job. No blankets, no tarpaulins, no medicines, nothing. It took hours before excavators and cranes could be brought to the scenes of the disaster. Even after 36 hours of the disaster there weren't any big cranes to lift the debris. Majority of the people died just because they couldn’t be retrieved from the rubble. The authorities did not have the appropriate equipment to find out how many people were trapped under the rubbles.

According to the media sources, many people have been falling sick with stomach illnesses as a result of drinking contaminated water; their health have worsened by sleeping out in the cold. They are complaining of diarrhoea, vomiting and fever. The experts are advising people not to drink the water from reservoirs, as many dead bodies may have fallen into them. It is an unmitigated debacle for India to provide immediate help and assistance to its people in their time of need rather than prompting other countries to send in aid, firemen, sniffer-dogs, even tents, blankets, medicines, doctors etc. Fortunately, the earthquake did not hit severely in the other neighbouring countries like Pakistan otherwise the situation could have been the same. The earthquake is a natural disaster, you cannot take any measures to stop it but at least, having proper precautionary measures, better housing and building construction planning and controls, efficient firearms, medical relief and other rescue facilities, the rate of losses of human lives could be reduced.

India and Pakistan are the two countries which have miserably, and quite consistently, failed to provide the very basic services to their people. These countries, particularly India, who has the second largest population in the world spending enormous amount of its budget on nuclear and arms development least consider to provide the basic facilities to their people. For example; Pakistan spends 74% of its budget on defence, India spends 25 to 30% on its arms build-up but they spend less than 10% on education and health.

The Government of India and Pakistan should learn with this mayhem where they even did not have the capabilities to find-out the exact number of casualties. These countries, instead of involving themselves, unnecessarily, in war-conflicts disputes across their borders should bring peace in the region and spend their money and resources for the betterment of a common person. They should concentrate more to take measures for population control, providing clean water, a better environment, good health and education system etc. instead of putting themselves on a nuclear flash point.

The heroes of yesterday - and today

By
A.H Amin

"Heroism" and " realism", "bravery " or "cowardice" are powerful words pregnant with multiple meanings and thus often misunderstood in common discussion. This is not exactly an article but a cursory examination of how certain individuals in various stages of world history made remarkable achievements by being "Heroic", "Realistic" etc.

The "Hero" is a man who does not surrender in the face of overwhelming odds and thus emerges "victorious" or is perceived by posterity to have been morally victorious despite having been physically destroyed. Khalid Bin Waleed , Napoleon, Alexander, Churchill etc may be grouped in the first category and Imam Hussain, Joan of Arc, Syed Ahmad Shaheed may be grouped in the latter category. All these men did well and are well known figures in history even today. We will first examine the issue in relation with the fact "Whether the hero had an exact knowledge and sufficient time "to assess decisions that he made and which ultimately elevated him to the pedestal of a hero in history! This is important but very often forgotten or not understood at all by many. We will take the "Rebels" or the "Freedom Fighters" of 1857 as an example. All existing facts as we know them today prove that these "Rebels" never really understood the real power and potential of the English East India Company. The rebellion began not because of any deliberately pre-planned conspiracy but as a series of spontaneous reactions against a "perceived attack on caste and religion".

It was a mechanical reaction and those who took it felt that "Rebellion" was the only option. These were the common soldiers of the Bengal Army led by the more hot-headed Ranghar and Hindustani Pathan Muslims of the Bengal Cavalry - the 3rd Light Cavalry rebels. A spontaneous decision, sparked by court martial of 80 of their colleagues in a manner that was perceived as unjust. The execution was "Tactically Brilliant"! A rebellion on Sunday at the evening service time when the Europeans were most vulnerable, followed by the seizure of Delhi! I would say that the decision was even strategically brilliant since Delhi was the political heart of India and one of the strongest fortress cities of India. The Sepoys so far did exceedingly well! They proved that they were superior in terms of "Resolution " and "Intellect" to many who later planned very quixotic schemes executed in all three Indo Pak Wars and till the Kargil Affair to date! Full stop here!

The Sepoys never appreciated the naval potential of Britain and never understood that a country that could survive a French Revolution or armies led by World class military geniuses could not be defeated simply by seizure of Delhi! Despite all this, the Meerut Cavalry troopers of 3rd Light Cavalry took a brilliant decision, once we keep in mind their knowledge of the external world, their nominal education and their subjective life
experiences! Those men were heroes, far superior to most post 1857 Muslim politicians and this includes all who have been on the scene to date! An answer was provided by General Jang Bahadur, the military ruler of Nepal to Sir Colin Campbell in March 1858. The situation was as follows:

The British had almost won the Sepoy Rebellion and were about to assault Lucknow which had been in Sepoy hands since July 1857. Jang Bahadur had led a Nepali Gurkha army to assist the British and his army was part of the force tasked to assault Lucknow! Jang Bahadur told Colin Campbell as soon as he joined him with his army "had he not visited England he would have been fighting against the British instead of with them! The readers
can now compare the difference! The Sepoys were "Heroic" but they were "Heroic" because they unlike Jang Bahadur had never visited England. Delhi was the ultimate city for these brave, albeit naïve Rohtakis from villages like Kalanaur and Kanar! It appears that the British realised that the Indians needed to be educated about the reality of the British Empire. Warburton records such an incident in his beautiful "Eighteen Years in Khyber". This was when Warburton arranged a visit of the Khyber Maliks to Calcutta and Bombay so
that it may widen their horizon and make them less ambitious in their plans to fight against Britain. The exercise, it appears, was not very successful since the Khyber Afridis once again rebelled in 1897! Heroism is good but the hero is different from a stockbroker or a banker! His calculations are in terms of moral values which he perceives as more sacred than material gains. The hero lives after his death while the businessmen dies every day despite living much longer than the hero, but goes on suffering indignities to gain greater dignity as that great man Bacon said! I remember an incident of a great bureaucrat as narrated by one of his relatives! The old fox, an ex ICS and at that time a very senior man in a political government that once ruled Pakistan comes home and proudly tells his wife "Oh dear you know today what happened! Mr Prime Minister abused me! Oh dear he uses the particular word that he used only for those with whom he is very intimate"!

Ranjeet Singh was a great realist. At the height of his power a courtier said to him, "Sir you should attack the English East India Company's territory". Ranjeet replied dismissing his sycophant advisors, "I may advance with my army as far as Aligarh but then the Englishmen would destroy me". A fine assessment by a man who had not been to any War College or Defence College! Syed Ahmad Khan was another great realist! In Bijnor he
restrained the Indians from attacking English civilians and non combatants and from joining the anti British camp at a time when the Hindus of Bijnor were in full rebellion against the English Company! It was not very heroic rather opportunistic as some may say! But the Syed had his reasons! Deep inside his heart was a conviction that the British would win and in the long term the rebellion would do more harm to the Muslims than good! The Syed was much condemned by many Muslims after the rebellion as an "Ibnul Waqt" but the Syed atoned for his "unheroic" behaviour by establishing the MAO College Aligarh. Opportunism is excusable if the end result is positive, but this unfortunately has not been the case in most "scenarios". The Syed is remembered for his educational achievements today and not for any business empire that he left. He would have been a smaller hero had he died fighting against the British at Bijnor! He had a strategic vision and would have been an excellent Chief of General Staff or more had he been alive today in any Indo-Pak army! Now compare the Syed with later Muslim leaders. He advised the Muslims to desist from identifying themselves with Egyptian, Turk or Afghan Muslims in the period 1878-1898. The Turks were too far to be of any help to the Indian Muslims! The Egyptians too insignificant and again too far and the Afghans were the worst predators who had shamelessly looted the Indian Muslims during the period 1739-59. This Golden advice was forgotten by outwardly more educated Muslims in 1920 when the Khilafat Movement was launched!

Isoruku Yamamoto, later turned famous as Admiral Yamamoto, was another great realist. He had studied at Yale and Harvard in between his military career and understood the limits of US military effectiveness! He counselled repeatedly against war with the US but his advice was overruled by the more powerful Japanese Army, and Japan went into a suicidal war that finally concluded with a nuclear holocaust at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Clausewitz makes a very fine distinction between types of courage and boldness and the level of command! Clausewitz put the lesson by using a beautiful example! Clausewitz thus stated "If a young man to show his skill in horsemanship leaps across a deep cleft, then he is bold; if he makes the same leap pursued by a troop of head chopping Jannisaries he is only resolute. But the further off the necessity from the point of action, the greater the number of relations intervening which the mind has to traverse in order to realise them". As a matter of fact, strategic decision-making is more difficult since the time period is much greater than it is in tactical encounters and a much greater mind is required. This explains why "Military Crosses" or "Military Cross Bars" failed in East Pakistan. These men had earned fame imported from junior positions and did not deserve the ranks they reached. In the final summing up their bad luck was the fact that a war broke out and they were exposed while their successors since 1971 had been far luckier! They had not seen a crisis or as one writer says, "They have not heard a shot fired in anger". In my humble capacity I saw how perceptions are distorted during the Gulf war. The senior most decision-makers in our military thought that it would be a prolonged affair! I was at the armour school Nowshera.

The Allied attack had not yet commenced and this was December 1990. I think it was Colonel Moin Rauf, one of our senior instructors, who said that the Iraqis would not last for more than a week! This was at a time when many more senior people had totally different opinions. Moin Rauf I think had been to Fort Knox for a course and kept his eyes open. This scribes father who had been to Fort Belvoir in 1964 wondered as to how Iraq could defeat USA once it had miserably failed to defeat Iran in far more advantageous circumstances in 1980! All this was crystal clear but all those who were something had ridiculous perceptions. Pakistan was lucky that Ghulam Ishaq Khan saw things more realistically and restored some sanity in the higher decision-making echelons!

Unfortunately, we have had too many meteors who came and disappeared but no great man with the slow solid but massive presence of a heavenly body in Clausewitzian terms! This is our tragedy! Mediocrity which as the saying brilliantly puts it "knows nothing higher than itself" has been institutionalised on both sides of the Radcliffe line! God Help us! An Anglo Saxon Westernised Nadir Shah to spread fire and sword may not be a remote possibility! "Realism" "Courage" "Vision" and "Opportunism" all have their limits and uses. We hope that those who at the moment are sitting on the pinnacles of power will understand this and will act in a judicious manner! The tide of history as Machiavelli says can be manipulated with if dikes are built in time! In case this is not done it becomes irreversible and destroys anything that comes in its way!

A country afflicted with venality, nepotism

By
Imtiaz Hussain Bakhash

Such a drama of pulling over to pushing out can only be staged in an authoritarian and chaotic country like Pakistan which is infected with "Rishwat khore[1]" and "Sifarshy[2]" people. The Pakistanis, in general, morally have no right to get upset over this unfair, profiteering, shady and authoritative exile deal, except those who have the zeal to suppress the above double-quoted "qualities" and disinfect the country of the infection. Unfortunately the difference-making proportion seems negligible.

We hoped at the time of military takeover that, at the minimum, the law and order situation will improve in the country and a level of corruption and "Rishwat Khori" will be controlled and reduced to some level. However our hopes faded away with time.I heard myself General Musharaf saying on his, probably the first, TV speech that the past "political leaders had brought shame to the country". If that shame was brought to an individual then I would understand an individual forgiving an offender. Here we are talking about a nation of over 120 million "Rishwat Khore" and "Sifarshy" infected minds minus a negligible proportion that does not fall into this category.The self and forced-exiled traitor families were accused of1) bringing shame to the country2) hijacking the plane3) jeopardizing the lives of over 200 passengers 4) looting the country by the billions5) bringing the country to the threshold of bankruptcy which is still lingering on6) spreading and promoting "Rishawat(bribery)" and "Sifarsh(nepotism)", existence threatening and destructive infection7) corrupting and hijacking the judicial system where consciousless, "Rishwat khore" and "Sifarshy" judges were originally appointed through nepotism for personal gains8) vacuuming out the wealth from transportation, communication and broadcasting systems and changing it to personal dollar bubble9) putting a stop and halting, directly or indirectly, intentionally or intentionally, the development of minds of the next generation builders by ruining the education system and making schools, colleges, universities' respective political sub-offices10) making the police a real terrorist and venal "RISHWAT KHORE" organization by assigning the whole police infrastructure to protect personal interests where the "SIFARSHY officers can not deliver the constitutional duties11) making the health care system a total placebo where the healers and the management are sucking the helpless nation's blood and converting that into mega bank deposits.These criminals of the nation were punished by the judges of the country's top puppet judicial court.Yes in an authoritarian country a puppet president can make any law in his kitchen to pardon and to release any criminal even without taking the looting back.

Don't you think the same should apply to the thieves as well? Get the looting back and let them off instead of chopping their hands off according to the laws of Allah. A punishment derived from the laws of Allah accordingly and passed on fairly from which there is no escape as Allah's prophet dictated even my daughter has to go through the punishment procedure if a situation arises.But wait a second; I am under the impression that we live in a country which was created after the sacrifice of countless men, kidnapping and rape of women, murder of children, with many families ruined and divided, so that we could live under the laws of Allah in peace and harmony. Hundreds and thousands of our ancestors were brutally slaughtered, they happily embraced it, so that their descendents could govern their lives in a society where the laws of Allah will prevail; to create equality and equal opportunity, bring economic independence and security where families will be respected, their honors will be preserved, real justice will be available to all;, a society which would bring about dignity commonly to each citizen regardless of belief and regional association. But unfortunately this dream has yet to come true.It seems our country has been hijacked by white elephants and black sheep. Therefore the Laws of Allah even before implementation, have been replaced by the Laws of London, the Laws of Washington DC, the laws of the IMF, the laws of the World Bank, the Laws of Riyadh, the Laws of Dubai, the Laws of the Shia, Sunni, and the Laws of Punjabi, Sindhi, Bolouchi, Pakhtoon - thanks to the corrupt so-called leaders, the "great minds [1,2]".In this hijacked society the dignity which is a man's clothing has been stripped off and torn into pieces, a man's independence has been turned into slavery, the education which is a development of mind is like a light has been put off, the health of a man's body and mind which is like an engine has been shut off, a man's ego which is like a driving force has been cut out. Thanks to the traitors who have been set free as a result of the "two [1,2]" involvement and handling. These are the symptoms of the "two [1, 2]" ailments.Several times a day Mr. Jinah's 4 principles 'Unity', 'Discipline', 'Firm belief', and 'action 'are shown on TV for the mass, I would like to ask the concerned (govt, political/religious organizations, teachers, doctors, lawyers, judges, mullahs) if they know the meanings of these rules, if they ever try to follow any of them, try to sincerely preach and practice them.I hold the establishments, politicians responsible and most of all "Mullahs -the story tellers" who interact with public directly on daily basis. Instead of inducing them into and making them follow these rules they have been telling the 'nation dividing stories'. These " great minds [1,2]" left no stone unturned to exploit the inexperienced, innocent but "Rishwat Khore" and "Sifarshy" people with the support of the corrupt and "Sifarshy" bureaucrat Mafia. Some times by raising the superficial slogans such as "bread", "clothing" and "home" and sometimes by deceiving slogans such as accountability to prolong their own looting period to shift the looted wealth overseas. This corrupt Mafia thoroughly enjoyed making fool of the general public.Unless the general public stands against and acts to eradicate the "two [1,2]", by refusing to pay "Rishwat (bribery)" and openly venting feelings of hatred for the "Sifarshy" people, Pakistan will never be what it was created for and will never be like the contemporary developed countries.With these "two [1, 2]" qualities in practice Pakistan will always be a beggar, a true slave country and dominated by the international powers through the corrupt and conscienceless traitors like Nawaz Sharif and Benazir because they are the product of "Rishwat Khori" and "Sifarsh".Do not be shocked and get ready to witness the repetition of similar dramas in future if the " two [1,2]" are not eradicated at the root level from the minds of ordinary people like you and me which make up the mass. And also unless the "two [1,2]" are perceived and believed to be fatal, existence threatening, ailments. When this materializes that would be the time, insha Allah which will come soon, when the corrupt, "Rishwat Khore", and "Sifarshy" establishment will be kicked out of the places of privileges and replaced by the competent workers and officers.Do not expect much neither from a puppet president nor from the judges who got appointed originally and promoted to the privileged position through "links" and nepotism. That's the story of my beloved country Pakistan, what a contradiction!Despite all this, I still do not want to peel off the label "a Pakistani" -thank God for that.

If you are/were a Sifarshy or just want to share your Sifarsh related experience email me your Sifarshy story with positive suggestion to control this infectionSifarshy@hotmail.comIf you are/were a Rishwat Khore or just want to share your Rishwat Khore related experience email me your Rishwat Khore story with positive suggestion to control this infectionRishwat_khore@hotmail.comIf you are/were a both Rishwat Khore and Sifarshy or just want to share your Rishwat Khore and Sifarshy related experience email me your Rishwat Khore and Sifarshy story with positive suggestion to control this infectionEmail: Top_Artist@hotmail.comAll these stories will be published on a website.

Notes:1) Rishwat Khore = a person who give &/or take bribery2) Sifarshy = a person who gains from nepotism illegally by overriding other people’s rights, basically as parasite3) Rishwat = Bribery4) Sifarsh= (illegal) nepotism usually based on a form of bribery

Finding the perfect gift

By
Ravi Zacharias

Isn't it ironic that the more we have access to, the farther we are from finding the answer to our loneliness? We are like little Andrew surrounded by Christmas gifts. Minutes after the gifts have been torn into, poor Andrew sits staring at the wall, saddened at having exhausted so much in so little time. Likewise, having tasted of every new experience that has come along, we too wonder like Andrew where all the promised fulfilment has gone.

Our world has seen many advances, which offered the promise of a new day. First, we live in the age of communication. Never before have we had such means to transmit content or create desire. Yet even with such capacities, the walls between races, cultures, and generations still stand. Second, we live in the age of technology. But it has delivered a bill of goods for which the cost exacted is the loss of peace of mind. Each new invention was supposed to save us time. Yet less time is spent in building relationships while more is invested in the trappings of our "conveniences."

Third, medicine has vastly improved our lives, and yet we have lost the definition of life itself. How we have changed! To the ancient of old, said C.S. Lewis, the question was how to conform the soul to reality, and the answer was in virtue and wisdom. But to the contemporary modern, the question is how to reconfigure reality so it conforms to our passions. Some change, isn't it? Fourth, human sexuality has never been more studied and pandered to in public, yet we have never been more confused about what is right and good. Young minds are exposed to sights and sounds which foster cravings that no human experience can match or placate. These advances have not been able to soothe the cry of loneliness heard from millions of hearts, have they? If the answer lies not in a computer or a medicine bottle, where can we go?

Some of you may remember the 1960's, when four shaggy-haired lads sang, "All You Need Is Love." Every generation has its crooners extolling love as the paramount pursuit of life and the cure for loneliness, hasn't it? From the one-liners on T-shirts worn by kids today crying out to be heard, to the sentimental movies of a by-gone era, tales of love litter the landscape. But let me ask you this: is love really the answer to loneliness? The answer may seem obvious because we hear from all sides, "Of course it is." But friend, I beg to differ! Listen to D.H. Lawrence, writing of his own pursuit of happiness, and hear what forces one to think long and hard before surrendering to his conclusion:

There is a beyond in me which goes further than love, beyond the scope of stars. Just as some stars are beyond the scope of our vision, so our own search goes beyond the scope of love. At least, I think that it is at the root, going beyond love itself. Is Lawrence right? There is a "beyond" in all of us that love does not satisfy. As grand a privilege as love is, I suspect that even in its best form we have made of it something it was never meant to be. Love has been exalted to emotional expectations that it could never deliver on a sustained basis. As the familiar proverb goes, "Love ceases to be a demon only when it ceases to be a god." In other words, love becomes an affliction when it is idolized as an end in itself. May I submit then that that "beyond" in us is the longing for God, who is the Author and Giver of love. Love is not the final answer to loneliness.
When we turn to the Author, love is understood rightly. Friend, let us not be like little Andrew surrounded by gifts but experiencing no lasting joy. Rather, let us keep in view the Supreme Gift, wrapped in the flesh of a tiny infant, appointed to define love:

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another." Listen to that "beyond" in your heart. Go to the Giver, who alone gives us perpetual wonder and fulfilment.

Pakistan: Is there any hope?

By
Syed Shahabuddin

Pakistan is on its third coup after having been afflicted by various "democratic" governments. Every time a government changes hand, people become hopeful for better life for themselves and for the economic and political future of the country. However, hopes turn into despair when the promises made by the new government go unfulfilled and nothing changes. I see the same fate for the "new" administrative authority unless it finds new ways to solve the country’s problems.

As many Pakistanis and the current government leaders know, Pakistan has been in existence for more than 50 years now. During this time, the basic government administrative structures and the democratic system have not changed despite the many constitutions and other directives issued by the many new governments.

The questions one may ask are:

1) Why hasn't any government been able to improve the lives of the ordinary Pakistanis?
2) Why hasn't it been able to reduce the inefficient, redundant, and authoritative bureaucracy?

The answer lies in the fact that the government‘s administrative bureaucracy has been hard to change. Therefore, regardless of how many attempts any government makes, nothing will change. Rather, every new government makes cosmetic changes in the bureaucracy that makes the bureaucracy more powerful, more corrupt, and inefficient. As a result, attempts at improving the lives of the people fail. Further, the "new" administrative authority becomes the bureaucracy behaving the same way as its predecessors. Life goes on as usual and the people go back to their old ways with deeper disappointments and hopelessness.

One might ask the question, that after so many changes in the governments and the promises they make, is there any hope for Pakistan. There are those who might say, the country is "working," people are being fed, new roads and buildings are being built, why do we need to change? This is a legitimate question, and needs to be answered.

The answer to the question depends on whether people feel they are better off now or before with the previous government. Obviously, there is no scientific data or a survey conducted asking the people this question. However, the answer could be found by counting the number of times the "democratic" governments have been removed, and the number of coups that have occurred since the inception of Pakistan. Further, whenever the old government is replaced, the new government promises to improve the lives of the people, and promises to eliminate the epidemic corruption in the country. Thus, when the government changes hand, people become excited and supportive of the new "leaders" and hope that the new government has a cure for their miseries. The same is true for the new Musharraf’s government. When he took over the government, he blamed the old government for corruption, economic mismanagement, and instability in the country. He promised to stay in power until the "mess" was cleaned. These are very lofty ideals for any patriotic Pakistani who is concerned about the future of Pakistan and its people. However, so far he or the "new" government has suggested few solutions that may not bring about the needed changes to make the system efficient, incorruptible, and effective. On the contrary, the "new" government is considering the old, tried ways of some of the previous governments. All of those methods have failed and it is naive to try those old failed ways. The same disappointments and resentments would prevail after a couple of months, and the "new" government will be thrown out without any change in the system.

I pray and hope that I am wrong in my assessment of the new "leaders" and of the future of Pakistan. Only God knows and the future will tell whether I am wrong or right.I still feel that "good" leaders can set a course for this country that will assure a bright future for Pakistan. So far, I have not seen any and I hope the current leadership can provide that needed leadership. My assessment of the situation is based on the history of "democractically" elected governments and the past two coups.

History

Consider the performance of the Ayub’s regime. When he took over, he promised to improve the lives of the people. Initially, he, as a dictator, brought about economic stability, an essential ingredient for economic development. The economy did improve. The GDP grew at the rate of 6.77 percent and the manufacturing sector grew at the rate of 9.93 percent annually. Many people and economists would consider this a phenomenal growth rate. Even though the government played a major role in the economic decision of the country, most of the government officials were working towards improving the economy under the authoritative leadership of Ayub’s regime. People were content and optimistic about the future of Pakistan. However, after a few years, the same regime became a part of the system. Ayub’s family and the people around him became corrupt and the system slowly deteriorated to the level that the economic condition was not improving any more at the same higher rate. Also the India-Pakistan war of 1965 did not help his regime. He was forced out by Bhutto, and the economic and the political slide accelerated.

Bhutto attempted to nationalise major industries. The GDP growth rate dropped to 4.84 percent and the manufacturing sector growth declined to 5.50 percent. Furthermore, Bhutto’s policies set a stage for socialism and laid a foundation for corruption. Being undisciplined though schooled, he pursued policies that did not make economic sense. As a result, his policies set a stage for an overwhelming corruption that has now become insurmountable. As Thomas Jefferson said, "The time to guard against corruption and tyranny is before that shall have gotten hold of us. It is better to keep the wolf out of the fold than to trust to drawing his teeth and talons after he shall have entered." Corruption has now been so ingrained in the Pakistani society that only a major surgery of the system could expunge it. In addition, Pakistan lost one large part of the country (East Pakistan). All these created an unstable environment that was not conducive for economic growth.

Bhutto stayed in power until Zia forced him out, and, thus, slowed the disastrous course the country was following. Zia promised many things including political stability, Islamic rule, and a better government. All these were lofty ideals and he did attempt to implement Islamic rule, basic democracy and a stable government through authoritarian means. If nothing else, at least he provided the stability needed for economic growth for the country. During his regime, the GDP grew at the rate 6.95 percent, and the manufacturing sector grew at the rate 8.21 percent. In addition, he established a structure for basic democracy where people at a local level could make decisions that benefited them.

Zia set the country on the right path to prosperity, and moral integrity. Unfortunately, the Russian-Afghan war resulted in disagreement as to how to handle the conflict. After following the directives of how to support the Russian-Afghan war, Zia decided to adopt his own policy to resolve the conflict. But, he was killed in a plane explosion.

The leadership vacuum opened ways for the old politicians to exploit the situation for their own advantage. As a result, many political parties, including the Bhutto’s party emerged and took advantage of the political instability and won "election." After a few years in power, Benazir was removed by the president of Pakistan and Sharif won the election. Each party was accusing the other for the deteriorating economic, social, and corruption problems. Regardless of which of these parties or leaders were in power, economic, social, and other problems got worse. The GDP grew by 4.70 percent, and the manufacturing sector grew by 4.95 percent. The economy was in trouble, the national debt increased, and population and corruption grew without control.

Given the politician’s unsatiated need for power, Sharif’s family made the mistake of interfering in the basic structure of the armed forces. There is always a limit as to how much a politician would be allowed to have his way of interfering in the armed forces. Moreover, the established system will always protect its own. As a result, Sharif was ousted, and the people of Pakistan breathed a sigh of relief that now another politician has been thrown out and hoped that the economic and political conditions would improve.

For public relations purposes or otherwise, the current "new" administrative authority arrested some politicians, declared war on corruption, and is trying ways to solve the country’s economic and social problems. Unfortunately, most of the steps could be considered like putting a bandage on a large wound that requires a major surgery to heal it. The condition of the country can best be described by a story a Pakistani told me on my recent visit to Pakistan. This Pakistani stated that he recently visited a newly appointed provincial minister for an official business. He observed how easy it was to meet the minister as there were no one waiting in his office to see him. The Pakistani observed that since these ministers, due to their fear of the "new" authority, could not take a bribe to make a wrong thing right, no one needed them. Because to make the right thing right, one has to just follow the procedures.

This observation sums up the whole problem of the country. The system allowed the people in power to make the wrong things right. As long as such a system exists, there is no hope for the future democracy, economic growth, and honest and efficient government. Whatever bandage solutions the current "authority" is trying to implement are first of all not the solutions to the problem, and, secondly, they will just prolong the agony of the nation. Further, the next government will just remove these cosmetic changes and will continue with their corrupt ways in the future. Therefore, in the few months or years of the new regime, people will notice that the new solutions are not going to eliminate the ingrained problems and, as a result, will fall into the old habit of making the wrong things right.

Frankly, it is hard for me to believe that all the Pakistani politicians, including the current generals in power, do not know the problems and their solutions. I do talk to a few average Pakistanis and read letters and news items in the domestic and international papers. It is a well-know fact that Pakistan is the second most corrupt country on the face of the earth, according to the Institute of Transparency International. The majority of Pakistanis know the reasons for such a high corruption, and I am sure that the politicians know them too. The appropriate question is: why are not these governments doing anything about it? The answer could be that no one cares, the people like the current system, or they are ignorant to know that there is a problem.

Solutions

From the last statement, you might assume that I consider Pakistanis to be ignorant; far from it. I know that most Pakistanis know the problems and how to solve them. Most Pakistanis are helpless. They feel dejected, hopeless, disappointed, and have, therefore, given up. They have been abused by the bureaucracy so much that they have lost their self-respect and confidence. Instead of changing the system, most Pakistanis, if they can, are leaving the country or have accepted the situation reluctantly. The intellectual, the pioneers, the highly frustrated are leaving. Those leaving have given up hope for the country and have decided to make a better life for themselves somewhere else.

For those staying in Pakistan, there seems to be no hope for any bright future for them. As long as the bureaucrats are happy and are leading a prosperous life, the powerful are able to influence the bureaucrats, the connected are able to abuse the system, the businessmen who can make a living, and the uneducated who do not care to be stomped on, and the frustrated who have no choices, why worry. Everybody will live, and the country will work as programmed. Therefore, for the "new" government to think that it can bring about changes and make a long-term effect on the future of the country, I would say that they are sadly mistaken. If they believe that they should stay in power to implement the changes they have indicated so far in order to make a difference in the lives of the ordinary persons, I would say they need to think again.

Anyway, let me continue with my discussion about the future of Pakistan. If I think that the "new" authority is mistaken or needed to think again, then they might say, do I have answers to the problems of Pakistan. The answer is yes. They are as follows:

1. Freedom of the Press: Have a free press with full accountability. Those journalists who accuse an innocent person unjustly should be punished swiftly and harshly. However, the press should have a full and a free access to all the government officials and documents. Of course, documents with national secrets will be out of bounds to the public and the press.

2. Reform the Judicial System: Expedite the judicial process. As the saying goes, "Justice delayed is justice denied." Currently, some cases take more than 40 years. But the majority of the cases take more than five to 10 years. A new directive or law should be passed and enforced strictly requiring each case to be decided within a certain period of time. For this purpose, a simple timetable based on the nature and complexity of case should be developed. A certain amount of deviation from the timetable should be allowed.

A panel of independent, honest lawyers, judges, and citizens should be appointed to study this problem and come up with solutions to the current judicial mess. The panel should be required to come up with recommendations within one year.

3. Government Bureaucracy: Reduce the size and the power of the government bureaucracy. The current bureaucracy is the cause of many economic, social, and political problems of Pakistan. It is inefficient, powerful, elitist, and inappropriate for the modern society.

All government rules should be spelled out and deadlines should be established for each activity of the government. Under this procedure, everyone will be required to follow the rules. Thus, there will be no opportunity for many government employees who just waste time negotiating graft for performing illegal activities. As a result, they will perform useful work for the government.

Reduce the number of departments, officers, and other employees by half. The public should have an easy access to the government offices and officers. Any officer either not accessible or available during the office hours should be punished or removed. However, I do realize that this suggestion will offend and affect many government employees.

Create local governments and transfer all or most of the government power, including police and the judiciary, to the local governments. All local government officials should be elected every four years and should not hold office for more than eight years. In addition, each office holder must have at least a high school diploma.

4.Tax System: The current system collects a very small amount of taxes, and is open to extortion. There are many easier and efficient ways to collect taxes that will reduce the government deficit. I would not discuss publically many new methods that I think will solve this problem. In order to develop a fair and an efficient tax system, my methods need to be refined with up-to-date information.

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Two-Nation theory vindicated

By
Samiullah Malik

The Muslims of British India evolved a vision of their future over a long period of time. First, it was Sir Syed Ahmed Khan who underlined that the real enemy was the Hindu not the British. He encouraged the Muslims to get such education that secures them jobs. That was the beginning of the divergence of the political course of Muslims from that of the Hindus. Then came the Separate Electorate introduced under Minto-Morely Reforms followed by the foundation of the Muslim League in the same year (1906) at Dhaka by Nawab Khawaja Sir Salimullah. The First World War started soon thereafter. The Muslims, who were not trusted by the British until then, joined the British Indian Army in large numbers. The Muslims from the Punjab and NWFP proved to be better soldiers than Hindu tribes and races. Turkey was defeated in the First World War. The Muslim response was the Khalifat Movement. The width and depth of power of Muslim militancy displayed unnerved the British as well as the Hindus. The British response was the Qadiyani Movement, which declared Jihad against "Just Rulers" un-Islamic. The Hindus supported the Khilafat Movement because they felt it would benefit them in two ways:

1) A wedge would be driven between the Muslims and the British.

2) With a large number of Muslims leaving India, the proportion of Hindus in the Punjab a NWFP would rise and they would secure even more economic dominance buying Muslim properties and businesses cheap.

The Qadiyani as well as the Khilafat Movement failed but they set the political stage for the whole 20^th Century. The British realised they needed the Muslims more. The Hindus realised that political absorption of Muslims was preferable to a confronting them. The Muslims realised that their aspirations would be ignored or suppressed in British or Hindu ruled India; they had to be sovereign power to achieve their aims and objectives. That is how and when the Two-Nation Theory began to crystallise. A new era began in which the relative militancy of Muslims and Hindus rather than mere numbers became important. Intelligence agencies began to be employed increasingly as instrument of subversion in politics as well as religion. The founding of Indian National Congress was an intelligence operation. Their purpose was to reward secularism and to demonise religious identities, which they called "communalism". It was the fierce opposition to the partition of Bengal that woke up the British to the power of Hindu agitation. The introduction of Separate Electorate was the response of the British.

After World War I, the Indian peoples got Western education in ever increasing numbers and became politically aware. Local self-government was followed by the introduction of elected provincial government vide the 1935 Indian Act. The elections of 1937 brought victories to the Congress Party in most provinces but the Muslim League was trounced badly almost everywhere. Then came the Second World War. The Congress decided it was a good time to oust the British and started the "Quit India Movement". The Muslim League started a movement for the dismissal of provincial Government that had oppressed the Muslims so much. Quaid e Azam earned his title by his far sight and wisdom. He offered to co-operate with the British to fight the War if they dismissed the Hindu provincial governments. The British eagerly accepted the offer. The Hindu governments were dismissed and their leadership was put behind bars for the duration of the War. The Muslims joined the armed forces in such large numbers that they became 56 percent of the British Indian Army of three million who fought in the War. The Muslim League passed the Pakistan Resolution in 1940. The Muslims had a clear objective, a great leader and a populace more prosperous, more confident and well trained in fighting a modern war. Hindu Muslim riots in 1946 underlined the need for Pakistan more than ever before. They needed Pakistan because they could only depend on a Muslim Army to protect their life, livelihood and honour, and to achieve their aspirations.

Right from the beginning, India saw East Pakistan as the weak link. It targeted the East Wing for subversion. Unlike the Muslims of Punjab, who resisted the Qadiyani subversion, the Bengali Muslims turned out to be an easy prey for subversion by Hindus. Until 1971, Pakistan was severely handicapped by political subversion of Muslims of East Pakistan; the Army was unable to defend it when India invaded it. Repeated military failures made the sovereign existence of Pakistan somewhat pointless. But it all changed after 1972. Pakistan started to build its armed power and its self-confidence. Pakistan justified its sovereign existence by helping Jihad in Afghanistan to victory. Would it have been possible if Pakistan had been a part of India? Certainly not! By the grace of Allah SWT, Pakistan is a nuclear power, its armed forces are more than a match for India, and Jihad in Kashmir has continued for eleven years without India daring to enlarge the conflict. India is suffering such heavy casualties in Kashmir that it has declared a unilateral albeit bogus cease-fire. The Liberation of Jammu and Kashmir is not near but it is not too far if Jihad continues.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and other Muslims who opposed Pakistan and put their faith in Secularism to accommodate the unique aspirations of Muslims and other religions have been proved to be wrong. Even under the rule of the Congress Party that calls itself secular, Babri Masjid was destroyed and the Indian Army assaulted the holiest shrine of the Sikhs – the Golden Temple. Now under the rule of Hindu Fanatics led by the BJP, the Muslims, Christians and Sikhs are being threatened to "Indianise" or are eliminated. Pakistan has been vindicated but that does not mean the crisis is over. Pakistan is under great pressure. The Americans are employing financial pressures against Pakistan as they employed so successfully against the erstwhile Soviet Russia. India is employing the subversive tactics it employed so successfully in East Pakistan. It has bribed, bought and influenced leading Pakistan politicians so much so that it has a choice of proteges to place in power in Pakistan. But the people of Pakistan are alert to the dangers. Even though the leadership that the sole nuclear Muslim power deserves does not exist, there are no lingering doubts in Pakistan about the profound value of Pakistan not only to the Muslims of South Asia but also to the entire Muslim World.

A doorway to prosperity
by
Khalid Durrani

For my first encounter with the world's famous Indus Valley civilization, I landed at Dokri railway station on a wintry afternoon of 1960. It is the nearest connecting point to Sir John Marshall’s discovered and excavated site of Moen jo Daro - described by world historians as ‘the greatest find of the 20^th century’ (Sir Aldous Huxley) and ‘the cradle of civilization’ (Sir Mortimer Wheeler), yet ignorantly called a mound of dead by its present inheritors. Dokri is a small and sleepy rural town in upper Sindh, near Larkana. After a long, chugging ride, I sat down in the waiting room of the station complex for a hot ‘dud-patti’, courtesy the simple and hospitable station master – a one-man show of the railway’s ‘state of the art’ presentation.

Equipped and fitted with some Victorian English pieces of furniture and mechanical signal and messaging system, the quite railway station itself represented history. The British rulers of Sindh had treated the discovery of 1924 as very significant and termed it to be the ‘lost key’ to ancient history. In order to facilitate international tourists and scholars, the Dokri station was geared and set up accordingly for a great political role besides an international tourist attraction.

One query that tickled my mind at the station was the name Dokri: what did it mean and signify? Eyeing my pensive reflection, my host and guide Deedar Junejo, a small farmer by profession, said in Sindhi "Saeen, a penny for your thoughts?". Upon my query came a quick verbatim, "Saeen, ‘Dukr’ means drought, a natural disaster of sorts creating poverty – penniless people". Momentarily I became perplexed at the reply. But after second thoughts on my way towards the ancient center of excellence, I realized that it was desperately trying to give an important message to the present generations: that this land had been highly developed and its inhabitants had formed the most advanced society that existed when the white world was living in the dark ages. I somewhat agreed with the tabled definition. Of course, the great disaster that suddenly befell this ancient rich city state on the banks of the mighty Indus, must have had a few fleeing survivors, later to mushroom as a small habitat of yore called "Lab Darya" in the footsteps of the ancient city state. It eventually came to be called Dokri, a city of the penniless and bankrupt. But why? Was it the spell of the corruption mafia? Alas, with no world donors and ‘aid giving bodies’ or marshal laws, the affected people of the Indus valley continue to endure socioeconomic hardships and ordeals for centuries altogether.

On my way in the single horse-drawn tonga, I witnessed a colorful folk mela. Men, women and children were all happily trekking in style towards the ballyhoo. I thanked God that these innocent souls have escaped the world donors’ wrath. Little did I know that soon a meteor was to hit them – the meteor of an ‘economic package’ with all the love of the west which has always eyed and had designed the notorious ‘Big Game’ from the Indus valley -- a route to half the world at a colossal cost both, in men and material. As Sir Charles Napier (conqueror of Sindh, 1843) put it, it is ‘the shortest, the safest and the most economical’ route to Central Asia.

West’s science and technology of today, strangely enough, which boasts of a see-through in almost all that exists on planet earth and beyond, (even contact with aliens worlds) has failed to decipher the inscriptions of the ancient Indus valley civilization. And since we are the most obedient of all races, we continue to abide by ‘His Master’s voice’ whose favorite theme is ‘Moen jo Daro’ or bust!

Ironically, for most of us today, the dawn of civilization in the sub-continent means the Arab advent of the 8^th century, or even the Mughal invasion. Perhaps the naïve Bill Clinton, the scholar president of the USA, was unaware of this fact, otherwise he would not have voiced his praise for the wisdom of the ancient Indus Valley civilization which played a great role in the promotion of culture, trade, commerce and enlightenment.

The annual mela held at Dokri - and so enthusiastically participated by one and all - may perhaps have its roots in the ancient city state, which had a rich economy based on strong trading and commerce links with its contemporaries in Afro Asia. Quite recently the editors of Time Asia conducted a unique travelogue touching the salient ports of trade of South and East Asian city states flourishing on the banks of the great rivers. Time magazine’s bold action may be framed in the following beautiful quote of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the man who revived the Olympic Games which had been discontinued since 393 A.D:

"The idea of the revival of the Olympic games was not a passing fantasy. It was the logical culmination of a great movement."

Such movements are today the need of the hour and the only hope for peace and prosperity for mankind on earth. Perhaps, the vested envisaged signboard ‘Moen jo Daro or bust’ will someday be erased by the fast approaching wave of education and information for its present inhabitants and by elimination of terror of the local war hawks. Till such time we must continue to think about that setting in the attractive waiting room of the Dokri railway station, where the Englishman sat in 1924-27 planning his Big Game.

Incidentally, the last time I wrote a piece on Harappa, another excavated city state of the ancient Indus Valley civilization near Sahiwal (Montgomery) in upper Punjab, a classic piece of antique wall clock presented by Montgomery himself to the railway station disappeared soon after. The station master of Dokri, therefore, beware!

Govt. could do better!
By
Syed Haris Ahmed*

The situation in Pakistan today is clearly not what the Pakistani society have looked like if it had followed the path set by our founders. The economy is a rather global problem and a third world country can't stay out of its mess. But, a government can and should do a little more than what Pakistani government is doing for its citizens' prosperity.

Instead, the Pakistani governments have spent their short terms in office either to secure some extra debts from the IMF and WB or to escalate the military tensions with our neighbouring enemy, India. No one can avoid the increasing tension with India, as it is a right of every country to defend it from aggression, but the countries are formed for the basic purpose of providing the citizens with security and a place to live with out fear from oppression, and economic troubles.

A famous English Enlightenment author John Locke believed that the governments and public were in a social contact with each other. Both parties are required to fulfil their duties in order to act according to the contract. Governments seem anxious enough to penalise any person who breaches the contract, but the governments are not very open to criticism of their own actions, themselves. In many countries Governments have broken the trust upon its citizens but they still manage to reign over these countries.

People in Yugoslavia revolted recently against a regime that had reigned over them for 13 years, but had not provided all of its governed people with the "unalienable" rights that many believe the creator has endowed all mankind with. The peaceful coup as me may call it, was the result of the continued oppression by the president Milosevich for roughly thirteen years. Pakistani governments like many other governments in the world have repeatedly failed to live up to its true potential or dream for the past 50 years.

People are now starting to believe that it was not even trying to bring up the quality of life in Pakistan, or to improve education or health issues, it was mainly a play ride for the rich and elite of Pakistan. During and before the American revolution, even way past that, the British parliament consisted of two houses, one was the upper house, which was composed of the nobles and elite, and the other was House of Commons, by law, it could only have commoners as its members. That was not the case however, brothers, sons, and friends of the elite were mostly "elected" to these seats, thus technically obeying the law and also getting the way the rich wanted. These houses consisted of almost only the large landowners, most of them were favoured by the king, thus shared his feelings on many issues. This meant that the king would have no trouble introducing laws he himself desired, and then the parliament would pass it with a relative ease. That co-ordination between the legislative and executive branch would prevent the true scrutinising of each others' acts, and thus disbalance the power in the government. That is almost the same case in Pakistan, but in case of a king, we have the prime minister.

The parliaments in Pakistan are composed entirely of the elite, who understand none of the hardships a common Pakistani has to endure in streets. They have a world of their own, where everything is perfect, and from their heaven on earth, they try to govern the real world. They are so far away from us mentally that it is hard for them to even imagine that a person can worry about one's meal and where one will sleep that night.

The money and power of these elite class necessarily does not come from public treasury, but most of the rich in Pakistan have not obtained the money from legal means. The money and power let them get away with any thing, and people treat them like royalty. That treatment makes the rich feel superiority over the middle and lower class of Pakistan, giving them a sense of pride. They also start to think that it is their "divine right" to rule these commoners, and they start to believe that the public's interests are not important enough to be concerned when debating over laws or passing amendments to the constitution.

If we go over the situation if Pakistan, we see unemployment, illiteracy, lawlessness, extra legal police forces, high taxes, low income, and many other problems. Some of them might not be caused by the inability of the government to deal with public interests, but most of the problems are the result of the elected representative of the people not really representing the population of Pakistan. The resulting chaos in Pakistani society is more or less the cause of the mess made by both democratic and power hungry army generals, and people now have the right to demand a new governmental set-up. As our beloved prophet and one of the greatest philosophers in all times once said, "if you do not help against the oppressor and remain neutral, then you are as guilty as the oppressor". This saying obligates all Muslims to take up force against any oppressive regime in the world, but before we go outside, may I suggest that we first look into our own backyards.

We are not some helpless sheep who obey every command given to them by their Shepards, but indeed we are great people, who have managed to keep the country it fought so relentlessly for, intact. We are capable of achieving yet another task presented to us in a bowl full of blood and fire, but I think that as nations rise and fall, it is the determination of their people that keeps them in the books of history as the winners, and not as losers. I think that in order to achieve the great potential of our people, we need a government that is elected only by the will of the people, and not by the blue and green bills that reside so proudly in the pockets of the elite. This will come with a big price tag, but the future it proposes can easily diminish the memories of the old and ugly past.

*The author is an 11-year old Pakistani in USA

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