I have been travelling since ages. So, I shoot photographs, produce commentaries on our place and time, and submit reports on political and social mis-happenings. Well, that's about it.
It all started with some illegitimate person making a page to depict the Greatest Personality of Universe, my and your Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (salahu alihi wasalam) on Facebook website. Off course, news travels fast in this modern age and someone in Pakistan got the wind of that page. All hell broke and Lahore High Court judge was forced to block the website itself. I am not sure why PTA did not bother to block something which was intended to be blocked, anyways. If not the entire website, which was eventually blocked by High Court, then atleast the single, defaming page.
But all has suddenly come to naught when yesterday our universally hated Minister (of what?), Mr. Rehman Malik, announced that soon facebook will be on and that Pakistanis will be able to connect to the world. Not sure what that means but sure enough our government has come black faced from this episode. And that's not the first time this government, or any government of Pakistan for that matter, has been through a blackened hole. We keep getting emotional time and again despite the fact that our people, of all the people on this earth, loving typing word 'sex' on google more than any other nation on this planet. And this alone is a glaring example of our methods and manners. Our judgement is perpetually weak and our decisions ad-hoc, just like our President and his cohorts. How sad that one week we announce in all our masjids that using facebook is haram and the user may well go to jahanum, and the other week our minister says that banning websites is not the way forward. How sick you can get!
Recently a news item hit me on the face: Christian boxers, 6 of them, had turned Muslim during a boxing competition held in Karachi. This despite the fact that Islam and Pakistan are continuously despised by western media led by Fox and CNN. Or perhaps they never watched CNN in their lives that they became Muslims? We won't know except that they had themselves told the media that they were, the words of CAR coach Mohammad Kalambaye - and as reported in Dawn of 6th Jan, 2010,
'the boxers were impressed by the teachings of Islam and Pakistan’s hospitality.inspired by the message of Islam.'
This event was the major event in Pakistan's calendar after a deadly attack on Sri Lankan team, perpetuated no doubt by Indian RAW agency, and was named after assassinated former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto. Six of the Christian boxers who converted to Islam are from Central African Republic (CAR) - Yagor Gbodo, Selebange Welcome, Niamogui Songnekani, NGoko Bongui, Ndarash and Bongola. Other three are Mendoua Blase, Ketchemi Joseph Justin and Tchwem Justin belonging to Cameroon.
This is a major setback, no doubt, to the anti-Islamic men and women from entire Hindu and Christian world. No wonder then that their counterparts across the world have simply failed to report this event. Even in Pakistan many channels reported this event in the passing.
All these lucky boxers now are part of Dawat-e-Islami tehreek.
Dr. Amir Liaqat, excellent orator, GEO TV host and a former Minister for Religious Affairs, is once again in trouble. This time trouble seems to be going big.
Two Ahmadis have been reportedly murdered after he called on his viewers to kill Ahmadis as they have insulted our Prophet (PBUH). Asian Human Rights Commission details:
In a program aired on 7 September 2008 the anchor of the religious program 'Alam Online', Dr. Amir Liaquat Hussain--also former federal minister for religious affairs--declared the murder of Ahmadi sect members to be necessary (Wajib ul Qatal) according to Islamic teachings, because its followers don't believe in the last prophet, Mohammad, peace be upon him. Dr. Amir repeated his instruction several times, urging fundamentalists Muslims to kill without fear.
While on air the anchor person also pressured the other two Islamic scholars (from two different sects) on the program to support the statement. This resulted in a unanimous decision among the scholars, on air during a popular television show, to urge lynching with the intent to kill. This was not a one-off. On September 9, Mr. Hussain answered a query with the comment that blasphemers are liable to be put to death.
Further,
According to the information received, at 1:15pm on September 8, 18 hours after the broadcast, six persons entered the Fazle Umer Clinic, a two-story hospital at Mirpur Khas city and two of them went to the second floor and started pressuring 45 year-old Dr. Abdul Manan Siddiqui to come downstairs to attend to a patient in crisis. Dr. Manan left his office and descended into an ambush. He was shot 11 times and died on the spot. His private guard was also shot and is in a serious condition. A woman was also injured by firing. The killers remained at the hospital until the doctor was declared dead, then they walked out of the building's front entrance. Police registered the killers as unknown.
On September 9, 48 hours after the broadcast, Mr. Yousaf, a 75 year-old rice trader and district chief of the Ahmadi sect was killed on his way to prayer in Nawab Shah, Sindh province. Yousaf was fired on from people on motor bikes, and sustained three bullet wounds. He died on the way to the hospital. The assailants had taken a route past a police station. No one was arrested.
But, is a commoner allowed to allow himself murder of a fellow human being? If that be the case, country would be left in total bloodshed. We've seen how Wahabis treat Shias and vice-versa. The cycle of hatred would come full circle and would certainly engulf our country (if any iota of peace is still left within). My personal view on this is that if someone finds out that there has been a travesty of faith, he may file a petition against the offender in Shariah court. The idea being that proper investigation is carried out to ascertain the truth instead of knifing the person in fit of emotional outburst.As for the case against Dr. Liaqat is concerned, I think we should not allow these media big-wigs to get away with incitement of murder (if there is any). But I must say I did not find any direct incitement of murder in the program. Therefore, it would be near impossible to directly indict Dr. Liaqat or the Ulemas present on 7th September, 2008.
Musharraf is out but he has left Pakistan in a mess which would not leave us easily - or at all. It is clear Musharraf wasn't in power all the time and that Americans forced him to go naked on many things. For one, Americans used him to use our army against our own people. And we can see what may be achieved when you start killing your own sisters and daughters and young men after calling them localized terrorists.
He has left a legacy which is absolute and has left Pakistan with deep scars. CIA men and Israelis would be glad to know that Pakistan is weaker, and not stronger, after Musharraf. In fact, every successive government has left Pakistan weaker at the core. Now, young generation is not thinking of staying back in the country; everyone wants to leave at any cost and people can swear by God that Pakistan is lost. That is the charm of long-term US planning of the region. They wanted to leave a total mess in the region and with the help of Musharraf and so-called Pakistani Taliban, ably funded by US-led CIA and Afghan puppet govt., the entire region from Swat to the borders of Russia and in the south towards Iran, the entire area is just too dangerous in any and every sense of the word. Next step, if Americans get yet another Musharraf look-alike would be to create ultimate chaos in Iran, and the Muslim states of former Russia. Off course Russians aren't happy and are looking over their shoulder for any suspicious movement behind their backs.
It is also a part of US Think Tank planning structure to divide the entire region in manageable, smaller chunks of land (instead of big countries as they are presently) and rule over their resources. It is a return to old colonial mind-set and every move in that direction is emphatically termed as a victory for democracy (sic).
Musharraf has also left another legacy, that of hate towards Pakistan Army. Many Pakistanis, especially those who have a religious bent, favour in some sense destruction of the power of our army. That is the most dangerous thing and Musharraf successfully helped Americans achieve that target in a very short period of time. Constant bombings of madrassahs and masjids has caused this sense of anger and revenge. Just imagine what would happen to a country whose people are against its own army? It is a terrible thought, one that would have long lasting effects on the country.
Musharraf, for all his faults, atleast got some able men and women for the job. We know that many foolish army men were appointed at civilian posts (like SUPARCO's chief, KPT chief, etc...) but he still managed to get some good work going. For instance, his work along with MQM in Karachi is commendable. They joined his ranks and were amply rewarded lucarative contracts some of which led to some of the finest road projects in the country. In earlier times, Nawaz Sharif with his typical Punjabi mind-set had totally ignored Karachi causing massive capital flight from the city in his second term in office. (And this was one major reason why Musharraf was so much despised by the Punjabi Bureaucracy; he was an Urdu speaking General). Musharraf will be surely remembered for all these roads for which Centre provided fast funds to Mr. Mustafa Kamal, the ever-present and ever-talking MQM-appointed Nazim-e-Karachi.
Other legacy of Musharraf is ultimate insecurity. Before Musharraf travelling cross country was far easier and less hazardous. Now, that has unfortunately changed much to the chagrin of travellers like myself. FATA is off-limits so is much of Swat valley. Now, much of Baluchistan (in fact all of Baluchistan for Punjabi speakers) is also off-limits and may only go there with life in total danger of being destroyed at the earliest. We constantly recieve reports about daylight murders and it appears to me that India is finally catching up and providing arms and training and maybe satellite support to BLA, a terrorist outfit which wants Baluchistan hacked away from Pakistan. (This strategy of India's RAW is due to our support for Mujahedding whom we allowed easy access to Indian-side of Kashmir. Now, thankfully, Kashmiri muslims are fighting a peaceful battle against Hindu kingdom).
Musharraf will also be remembered for a press which is mainly bonkers. Take GEO for instance. It is free, alright, but in a FOX style. It reports things which are at best useless or dangerous for the country. And it closely follows the tradition of CNN where selective reporting is used. It hides lots of things and dares not speak against the atrocities committed by MQM goans. (Now, PPP goans are proving that MQM was a child play 2). But despite its many set-backs Musharraf can claim that he was much better than all the previous leaders combined in terms of freedom of expression. He allowed press to abuse him, to scrutinize him, and to challenge him. Let us see if Zardari would do the same.
Overall, Musharraf has been a good leader in his first four years and then started to drift away in egoistic behaviour and lack of common sense. He could have done lot of good things for us like not kicking out CJ and his party, not bringing Zardari and his ilk back; he could have also opened cases against land mafia and could have eased the business issues of our business community. Unfortunately, he failed in many respects and Kashmir being one of them. He will be mainly remembered as yet another dictator but will surely come out better than the likes of Zardari and Nawaz Sharif.
