Pakistan, Present and Future
By Guest Blogger • Mar 11th, 2009 • Category: Politics • 3 CommentsPakistan is at a crossroads. That is no surprise to anyone familiar with the country. But the last two weeks may have illuminated the reality more than at any other time in recent history.
Two major events occurred in Pakistan. The first was the truce between the government and Islamic Fundamentalists in the Swat Valley, which allowed Sharia law to be the primary legal force in the region. The second was the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore just hours before a test match with Pakistan was to start.
Both of these events illustrate where Pakistan is today, and where their choices will take them in the future. The fork in the road is apparent, but neither path is all that appealing.
Right now, Pakistan is a country without an ideal. For decades, during military dictatorship and democracy, Pakistan was one of the more tolerant Muslim nations in the world. It had a strong education base, was relatively secular, and although had multiple violent confrontations with India, was generally regarded as a trusted Muslim country by the West.
Today, no one trusts the government of Pakistan, not even its own people. The secularists in the country are in fear of the fundamentalists. And both sides are vying for the power of the government, the military, and the intellgence services in a tug-o-war that will decide what path Pakistan takes.
Why do I say the path forward is not that appealing for Pakistan? Look at the choices.
One, move forward with peace deals with Islamic fundamentalists, and ultimately, groups like the Taliban. The Obama Administration is considering a similar approach, no matter how misguided. The Taliban achieved a victory in Swat, because their ultimate goal is to enact a strict version of Sharia law. In Swat over the past year, we have seen hundreds of girls schools burned; foreigners kidnapped and killed; and no true government establishment of the law. At the same time, the Pakistani military claims victories against the Taliban in some adjacent territories, such as Bajaur. The question is, is it a pyrrhic victory? Did they really defeat the enemy, or has the enemy just shifted to the Swat Valley and in to the mountains, to fight another day? Don’t underestimate the Taliban; they have survived not only the Russian invasion of the 1980s, but also the U.S. invasion of this decade, and they have learned to adapt to survive.
Additionally, what you saw in Lahore this week with the Sri Lankan cricketeers in many ways was a direct extension of that. The mistake ultimately is that you can compromise everything to these killers, and expect them to live peacefully. Bombings continue in the area. And there is no apparent ease to the violence. Since the fundamentalists have already won the first round, I see no reason why they would stop their attacks now.
The other choice results in much more violence up front. It means confronting not only the fundamentalists in the western territories, but also means that the government and army must face the enemy within. There is an general infiltration of fundamentalism, especially within the ISI, that has been there at least since the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. These fundamentalists are in a battle with the secularists for the future of the nation. What else was Ms. Bhutto’s assassination a year ago about, if not for this battle? And Pakistan still sends mixed messages about helping the West, and American in particular, in its quest to root out terrorism.
At the same time, there is hope. Potential for everlasting peace between India and Pakistan exists, now more than ever. The two countries for once see a common threat: Islamic fascism. Ultimately, they may have to work together to solve each of their problems. Who would have thought that former President Pervez Musharraf, on a trip to India, would receive applause from an Indian audience for speaking out against any violence between the two neighbors? Times are changing.
Pakistan must make a choice. This is a moment for them to stand up. I in my heart, as an American of Indian heritage, believe that the secularists are still the dominant force in Pakistan. But their victory will not come easily. The fundamentalists have shown that they are willing to fight to the death for their beliefs. Will the secularists do the same? Difficult to say. But one thing is clear: the future of Pakistan as a successful, peaceful nation and member of the world community is at stake.
By: Pradheep Shanker, Neoavatara.com/blog
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IS THERE ANY FUTURE OF PAKISTAN?
As world history and USA propaganda reveals on us that in 2020, there would be no existence of Pakistan on the map of the world. Israel, India, France, UK, USA, Vatican City, Ireland all are working on this.
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Pakistan’s Ignored Rural Areas
By Khwaja Aftab Ali, Florida
Five regional cities should be upgraded within the provinces in Pakistan: Dera Ismail Khan in NWFP, Gawadar/Qalat in Balouchistan, Sukkar/Larkana in Upper Sindh, Jehlum/Rawalpindi and Multan in Punjab province. These cities have been ignored by the federal and provincial governments although they have their own history, culture and languages. Dera Ismail Khan in the south of Pakhtun khwa/MWFP is under siege, Multan/DG Khan in the south of Punjab is the next target of religious extremists, Sukkar/Larkana is being ruled by criminals, Gawadar/Qalat appears troublesome. The people of these regions have to travel to provincial capitals trivial reasons. A good number of people are also forced to travel to big cities to earn livelihood as the local feudal who own majority land treat the common man as their virtual slaves. Creation of regional government and upgrading of regional cities will save a lot of money and time of the poor people of these areas. Circuit benches of the High Courts are already functioning in these places and what is required is additional staff to beef up different departments engaged in additional work at the provincial capitals. The concerned authorities should immediately consider to upgrade the regional cities. And immediate attention should be given to upgrade/build the airports, TV stations, civic centers, libraries, hospitals, educational institutions and bolstering investment opportunities for Pakistanis living abroad. Foreign firms should be encouraged to create jobs in the areas as the majority population in rural Pakistan does not have enough resources to survive. In this context I am reminded of the conditions obtaining in Iran before the Islamic Revolution when rural Iran continued to be ignored and the capital Tehran was developed and called the ‘Paris of the Middle East’. A couple of big cities, including Isfahan, and the Caspian Sea area were developed because of the attraction they possessed for foreign tourists but the rural area was ignored and plagued by problems of sorts as it was ruled by ruthless police and intelligence forces. It was but natural that the rural population supported the Islamic Revolution and moved to Tehran and other big cities and later ruled the cities. After the revolution, the new government was motivated to develop the rural areas of Iran. There is thus a pressing need to set up a fund to upgrade/build the regional cities in Pakistan under the aegis of the public and private sectors. Our foreign friends and Pakistanis living abroad could be asked to participate in this singularly important developmental effort. ————————————————————————— Editor: Akhtar M. Faruqui © 2004 pakistanlink.com . All Rights Reserved.