Archive for the ‘Pakistan’ Category
IDP Crisis: Two Faces of Pakistan
The military operation in the NWFP to clear the region of terrorist elements has, like any other military offensive, pros and cons. And like any other contemporary military action, the civilian population continues to suffer unimaginable collateral damages. 2 million people have been displaced from their homes in the NWFP and face an uncertain future. Termination of the military operation and safe return to their homes will be followed by the tumultuous task of living normal lives. The international community has responded impressively by extending assistance to the IDP community in Pakistan. However within Pakistan, two opposing trends can be discerned with regard to the IDP situation. On the one hand individuals, NGOs and corporate houses have come forward to extend all possible help to the IDPs. On the other hand political parties have raised parochial issues to secure petty political victories. These reactions show two different faces of Pakistan; one that is guided by considerations of human solidarity and the other that is immersed in political opportunism.
[Photo courtesy: Paula Bronsteinl/Getty Images]
Female Radio Journalists in FATA
Whether it’s the flogging of a woman in tribal areas of Pakistan or destruction of schools providing education to girls in Swat, the issue of women’s right has remained central to the anti-Taliban campaign. The counter-terrorism campaign, strengthening of national democratic institutions, drive for gender-equality and efforts at cultural contextualization are over-lapping in contemporary Pakistan. A recent report in the Dawn on female journalists in FATA epitomizes this unique struggle in Pakistan. The Dawn article entitled “Women in FATA find a Voice” highlights the aspirations and struggles of three women hired as radio journalists by Radio Khyber.
[Dawn: June 30, 2009]
The ‘Zardari Show’ Continues
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has once again proved that his theatrical skills are much better than his political acumen. President Zardari’s column in Washington Post yesterday, titled “The Frontier Against Terrorism” reflected unnecessary aggressiveness and incoherent arguments. The primary objective of the article is to gain aid and assistance from the European States, much in line with the recent U.S. grant. Why did President Zardari write in Washington Post if his target audiences were primarily European governments? Would not Der Spiegel be a better choice? I guess President Zardari had reasons beyond my analytical capacity.
Pakistan’s Budget Escaped the Attention of its Saviors!
The entire, almost the entire, international community has been expressing grave concerns about the economic stability of Pakistan. From the U.S. Congress to Friends of Pakistan, aid and assistance plans are being discussed and approved to keep Pakistan’s economy afloat. Earlier this week the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted unanimously for tripling non-military aid to Pakistan to 7.5 billions over next five years. In the midst of all the “genuine” concern to address Pakistan’s economic woes, there has been almost no official response to or media coverage of Pakistan’s Budget presented before the National Assembly on 13 June. I understand that decisions about the Budget is the prerogative of the national governments, but given the fact that so much money is being poured into Pakistan by the international community in midst of a global financial crisis makes some knowledge about the country’s budget important.
Pakistan made history with this Budget. This statement has nothing to do with the substance of the budget proposals; it had more to do with form. For the first time in Pakistan’s history, the Budget was presented by a female Minister of the Government - Hina Rabbani Khar (Pakistan’s State Minister for Economic Affairs).
[Photo Courtesy: Brahma Chellaney's Website] Click to continue…
Pakistani Madrassas - Perception and Reality
For many of us the Karachi Kids controversy has moved into the oblivion. A recent report by the World Bank on the enrollment data in Pakistan’s religious schools seems to dispel the misperceptions regarding madrassa education highlighted in the Karachi Kids documentary. For those who missed out on the Karachi Kids controversy here’s a background. The Karachi Kids was a documentary film by Imran Raza which revealed how two American boys were held captive in a Pakistani madrassa previously attended by Osama Bin Laden. The narration of how the two boys had developed extremist views under the influence of the madrassa curriculum had outraged many Americans. Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas) intervened, even requesting President Mushrraf to ensure the return of the boys to the U.S. Later it turned out that Jamia Binoria, the madrassa where the boys were allegedly held captive, was one of the most moderate madrassas across the globe and bin Laden had never visited it. The siblings returned to their Atlanta home after completing their Quranic education and emphasized that they had never been held at Jamia Binoria against their will. Filmmaker Raza apologized for the mistake caused due to certain discrepancies in the background research for the film. Click to continue…
Sympathize, Empathize or Rationalize: Obama Administration’s Policy Choices in Pakistan
As the AFPAK strategy session concluded in Washington arguments for and against providing aid to Pakistan dominated the op-ed columns and the blogosphere. The U.S. cannot deprive Pakistan of essential aid because there are fears that the Country might collapse. At the same time U.S. aid will not solve most of Pakistan’s problems. So what should the Obama Administration do? Can the U.S. merely feel sorry for the state of affairs in Pakistan or should the challenges facing the Pakistan be recognized and a cooperative counter-Taliban effort be continued? Or should the U.S. rationalize in terms of delineating the respective responsibilities of the Pakistani Government and the international community? Click to continue…
Kerry-Lugar Bill: An Opportunity for Democratic Pakistan
The Kerry-Lugar Bill, presented before the Senate yesterday, seeks to apply the Afghanistan prescription suggested in Greg Mortenson’s Three Cups of Tea to Pakistan. The very title of the book is a suggestion on the best strategy to be pursued in Afghanistan: the Western style of speeding up operations doesn’t work; slowing down and building relationships would help to achieve the desired objectives. Though slowing down is not an option in Pakistan but building relationships is a viable strategy and this is what the Kerry-Lugar Bill intends to do. In the words of John Kerry, the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act (Kerry-Lugar bill) seeks to “fundamentally change America’s relationship with the people of Pakistan.”
[Photo Courtesy: Boston Globe, May 5, 2009]
The most important element of the proposed bill is the repeated reference to the ‘people of Pakistan’. U.S. commitment to the needs of Pakistani people is proposed to go beyond the fluctuating government to government relationship. The people of Pakistan cannot be punished for the inability of their Government to optimally utilize U.S. military aid to counter terrorism. The justification for reducing and conditioning military aid to Pakistan is as strong as the rationale for increasing non-military aid to the country. Click to continue…
Popular Protests Planned in Pakistan aganist the Government’s Taliban Policy
In my recent blog post “The Pakistan Mystery Continues” I raised a few questions about the popular and official response to the Taliban’s expanding presence in the region. One of my important concerns was why are the people of Pakistan not opposing the official policy towards the Taliban? I had mentioned that the protest march in support of CJ Choudhry had demonstrated the strength of Pakistan’s civil society; similar protests against the Taliban’s growing influence could force the Government to alter the appeasement strategy.
[Photo Courtesy: CNN, December 20, 2008]
I was pleasantly surprised to realize that a peaceful protest against the official policy has been planned for April 28 at the General Post Office on Mall Street of Lahore. The citizens have planned to post letters in large numbers to the President, P.M. CJ and COAS calling for military action against the Taliban. The text of the letter is been made publicly available through various avenues including Facebook. The people are expected gather at the G.P.O. with copies of the letter meant to be posted to the various political functions as a means of voicing popular protest.
The text of the letter is as follows:
We the citizens of Pakistan are angry and dismayed at the abject capitulation of the state of Pakistan before the Taliban insurgents in Swat. With one stroke of the pen, you and the Parliament have signed away any real prospects of a stable, tolerant and progressive Pakistan as envisioned by its founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
Leaving aside the merits or demerits of the so-called Nizam a Adal Regulation, we believe that any agreement signed at the point of a gun and under threats from violent extremists can never lead to a lasting and just peace. It has now become clear how naïve the government has been in thinking that the Taliban could be contained in Swat.
Since you signed the Regulation, the Taliban have stated that that they don’t intend to lay down their arms, have called into question the legitimacy of the Parliament and Supreme Court, and declared the intent to impose their own brand of violent and brutal Sharia law not only in the rest of Pakistan but across the world! This is proof positive that the real aim of the Taliban is to seize power through brutal force and intimidation. Click to continue…
The Pakistan Mystery Continues…..
Recent developments in Pakistan have left the international community baffled.
The Swat Peace Deal was viewed across the globe as appeasement of the Taliban militants. President Zardari assured that he would approve the Accord only after peace was restored in the region. Pakistan was given the benefit of doubt and President Zardari’s line of defense was accepted. After Sufi Muhammad threatened to withdraw from the agreement, President Zardari abandoned his internationally publicized pre-condition and approved the Accord. The act was defended as ‘conditional pragmatism’ and stated to be in accordance with Pakistan’s Constitution. The emboldened Taliban have now moved into Buner district and claim to implement the Sharia across Pakistan. Pakistani government has responded by sending armed reinforcements to the region in an attempt to protect the Government establishments.
The unfolding drama brings several questions to my mind: Click to continue…
The Children of Taliban
The Frontline/World aired on April 14, 2009 a documentary Children of Taliban. In the Documentary, Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy attempts to explore the impact of the Taliban terror on the children of Pakistan. The documentary takes the audience beyond the political and strategic noises of Taliban’s impact on regional and global security. Without taking sides Sharmeen brings before the world the myriad faces of Taliban terror among the young hearts of Pakistan.
[Photo Courtesy: Sharmeen Obaid Films]