Posts Tagged ‘Pakistan’
Attempts at moral policing in Pakistan
I am compelled to share an excerpt from a post by Murtaza Ali Jafri on the Dawn Blog today. I was unable to discern my reaction after reading it: is it funny or pathetic?
Last month, the Punjab Assembly resolved to ban all late-night call packages offered by mobile telecommunications companies in the province. During vigorous assembly debates, it was concluded that the ability to make cheap, late-night phone calls was having a negative impact on this country’s bright young things. Forget terrorism, the energy crisis, a weakened government, and water shortages – apparently boys and girls texting and calling each other past their bed time has become a matter of national concern.
Hence the assembly resolution demanding that mobile companies stop promoting “cheap rate, late night packages that alter societal tendencies.” Luckily for us nocturnal phone addicts, the powers that be haven’t yet discovered the prevalence of instant messenger or the internet.
I hate to be the harbinger of bad news, but cheap mobile packages don’t corrupt the youth, society corrupts the youth. After all, the previous generation grew up without mobile phones, the internet, cable television, and Gossip Girl, and they’ve hardly turned out to be bastions of virtue.
Does the Government of Pakistan ever fail to surprise us? Only if they could ban all guns given the fact that so many young Pakistanis were being lured by terrorist groups.
Human Rights Advocacy: Concerns and Challenges
Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet and interact with Meenakshi Ganguly and Ali Dayan Hasan from Human Rights Watch. In my informal interaction with Meenakshi, I found her to be a keen observer and her previous career as a journalist convinced me of her astute sense of reasoned social investigation; a quality imperative for anyone working in the field with Human Rights issues. The interaction brought to light some interesting dimensions with regard to human rights in general and HR Watch in particular.
Some Different Claims from Pakistan
Criticism for Pakistani politicians, state of military-civilian relations and covert support to terrorism comes easy for anyone. There is so much to complain about Pakistan that very rarely does anything positive gets to the attention of the outside world. In one such rare instance, the Foreign Affairs, January-February 2010, carried a section on Pakistan Regained. Though some of the political claims carried in this sponsored section can be contested, the eight page attempt at PR throws light on some unnoticed facts about the crisis-ridden country.
[Karachi Port Trust Towers]
Who Got Those Drones for Pakistan?
What was reported as a snub by the Pakistan military for the U.S. strategy in the region was in fact a simple act of bargaining.
Pakistan Army spokesman Athar Abbas told the BBC the “overstretched” military had no plans for any fresh anti-militant operations over the next 12 months. He added that “The Pakistan army is overstretched and it is not in a position to open any new fronts. Obviously, we will continue our present operations in Waziristan and Swat.” The announcement was made during the visit of U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates to the region. And many interpreted this as an embarrassment for the Obama Administration. Click to continue…
President Zardari: A Zealous Entertainer
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has in a recent article in the Washington Post claimed that his Government shall not turn back from reforming the situation in Pakistan. President Zardari’s self-delusion appears more menacing than the threat of terrorism. I was more amused than surprised to read President Zardari’s tall claims.
The opening lines of the article set the tone for what follows:
“When I was elected President more than a year ago, Pakistan was in grave condition, strained by terrorism and a ravaged economy.”
President Zardari seems to believe that Pakistan is no longer in a grave condition and economy has improved. He refers to the threat of terrorism with a sense of nostalgia. Click to continue…
NRO: Serving Institutions or Individuals?
The Pakistani conundrum continued with the recent Supreme Court decision declaring the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) null and void. Under the ordinance, issued by former President Pervez Musharraf on October 5, 2007, cases of corruption against public office-holders could be withdrawn and no public office-holder could be arrested in future in corruption cases. Powers of the chairman National Accountability Bureau were also circumscribed. In more specific terms the federal and provincial governments were empowered to withdraw from the prosecution of any person, including an absconding accused who is found to be falsely involved for political reasons or through political victimization in any case initiated between January 1, 1986 to October 12, 1999. The ordinance was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on December 16, 2009. Though the constitutional invalidity of the ordinance was obvious, its wider impact has created much confusion. Interpretations of benefits emanating from the NRO are distorted and depend on the political disposition of the observer. Few conspicuous dimensions have evaded attention.
First and foremost, the view that President Asif Ali Zardari benefitted most from the NRO is only partially correct. Zardari was not the primary architect of the NRO; no one, including Zardari himself, could have apprehended the political prize he grabbed as a consequence of NRO. The ordinance was most clearly part of a deal to give a new lease of life to the vacillating political careers of President Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto. Most of the current analysis gives an impression that NRO was the outcome of active campaign by Zardari for the sake of grabbing the Presidency. Zardari, no doubt, was expected to make considerable gains from the NRO, but that was to be an auxiliary rather than primary outcome of the NRO. Click to continue…
New Social Media and Socio-Political Movements in Pakistan
Pakistan has turned from a challenge into a mystery. Apart from aid donors, drones and special envoys, a constant stream of foreign correspondents are pouring into Pakistan. From Nicholas Schmidle to Sharmeen Obaid, reporters, scholars, observers and documentary makers are visiting Pakistan in an attempt to unravel the mystery. Media reports and expert analysis on Pakistan have painted a rather grim picture of the state of affairs in the country. From the growing threat of Taliban to concerns about safety of nuclear weapons, from the weak political leadership to deep social schisms, Pakistan appears to be immersing into deeper crisis.
However, the media glare and emphasis on the obvious has ignored a remarkable element of Pakistani society: resilience of the Pakistanis. In the midst of negative attention, one encouraging development in Pakistan has been overlooked. This refers to a growing number of public protests in Pakistan along with the increasing use of social media tools for mobilizing the people. Most of these protests may not be part of the solution but nevertheless amplify the voice of the Pakistani civil society.
[Picture courtesy: GlobalVoices Online]
Pakistan’s 26/11 Anniversary Gift to India
After a year of vehement denials the Government of Pakistan has charged seven suspects involved in the 26/11 terror siege in Mumbai. The most high profile name among those charged is Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, head of the banned militant group Laskar-e-Taiba. The secret trial and timing of the charges against Lakhvi and others should create unease rather than relief among the Indian diplomats. Ilyas Siddiqui, lawyer to one of the charged suspects is preparing to contest the verdict as he opines that the prosecution does not have the evidence to support the charges it has framed. Since the trial is being held in secret, there is no possibility for Government of India or the international community to question the legal proceedings if Lakhvi and others are let off the hook or handed minimal sentences in the follow-up trial.
Pakistan has contested India’s assertion that the ten terrorists who killed 170 people in Mumbai last year had any Pakistani connection. India is awaiting response to the 7th dossier on investigations into the terror operation, but no major surprises are expected. However, the statements of an FBI officer at the recent session of a special prison court provide the much needed third party perspective to the case. According to FBI electronics engineer and forensic expert, data recovered from a satellite phone and three global positioning systems recovered after the attacks establish the fact that the attack was being coordinated from Pakistani soil.
It is naïve to expect that Pakistan will allow any investigation or action on the 26/11 attacks that exposes the role of any Pakistani official agency. And with the sloppy investigations by the Indian authorities there is not much hope that Pakistan will be confronted with undeniable evidence. Even after questioning Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist who survived 26/11, for almost a year the investigators had no clue on David Coleman Headley. Kasab was questioned on the Headley connection only after the latter was nabbed by the FBI. The HBO documentary Terror in Mumbai portrays Kasab as a misled Pakistani boy who taken for a ride by his trainers. If this was true to any extent then he would have revealed Headley and other such covert connections. Kasab is simply following the instructions of this commander, “prolong this as much as you can.”
Pakistan’s Search for Sweetness
Criticizing Pakistan is the simplest task in contemporary international affairs. When many across the world have given up hope on Pakistan, the people of Pakistan are resolutely fighting their battles. These battles relate to more basic challenges than capturing Osama bin Laden and celebrating the death of Baitullah Mehsud; it’s about accessing the essentials of life. In the midst of a bitter crisis, the people of Pakistan are getting together to add some sweetness to their lives….sweetness in the literal sense.
As a protest against the steep rise in sugar prices due to hoarding by local merchants, the Pakistanis are being encouraged to boycott purchase of sugar from November 5th to November 12. Whether or not this move makes any tangible difference, it will demonstrate the resolve of the common Pakistanis in times of national crisis. Dr. Awab Alvi, who blogs at Teeth Maestro has uploaded this public appeal for boycotting sugar.
Cellphones, Cricket, Apples….Security Concerns Rule Everything in J&K
India has gained mastery over chaotic diplomacy in the domestic and international arenas. The latest demonstration of this mastery came just days after P.M. Singh visited Jammu and Kashmir to win the hearts and minds of the people in the State. P.M. Singh inaugurated a train service linking Kashmir with Srinagar and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi addressed a public rally without bullet-proof screens. The gestures were aimed at highlighting the return of normalcy to the terror ridden J&K. Even before the people of the State could react to the new initiatives, the Home Ministry announced the decision to ban pre-paid cellular phones in J&K. The reasons are obvious: security concerns, terrorists could misuse these connections. The ban applies only to pre-paid connections because the validation process for securing such a connection is much easier than the post-paid ones. Now 39 lakh people with pre-paid cellular connections will have to look for alternative means of connecting across the state. Moreover, by the classic stroke of a pen, 10,000 telephone operators most of whom are young Kashmiri youth will loose their jobs. Connectivity and economic development were the dominant themes of P.M. Singh’s recent visit to J&K. Could there be a better way to further alienate the people of J&K? Click to continue…