In the national interest
Monday, May 04, 2009
Kamal Siddiqi
The writer is editor reporting, The News
One is never clear of the messages that are exchanged between our leaders and the leaders of the “developed” world. For example, one day US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expresses worry over the safety of our nuclear assets. Two days later, the American administration indicates that it is satisfied with the arrangements in place to guard them.
Now US President Barack Obama has told the world that he fears for Pakistan’s fragile civilian government. He has requested urgent funding for Pakistan so that the government can fight terrorism on the one hand and to help in providing basic services on the other. President Obama has also stated the obvious: that militants at home are the bigger threat to the country. He has also asserted that the Pakistan Army is gradually waking up to this fact. We can hope.
While all this makes perfect sense, the situation on the ground gets murkier. For example, why are we conducting a military operation in Dir when we are providing safe havens to the Taliban in Swat? Why was Buner the tipping point? Our government is upset, and rightly so, over the fact that when it does not take action the people agitate. And when it does, the people and the media crib and cry over the casualties and damage. But this is nothing new.
In all this, what seems to be missing from the Pakistan government side is a bigger game plan. Our first question and one that we are unable to answer amongst ourselves is: why are we fighting this war? There are many who have taken the stand that this is not our war. Our government and those who are fighting the militants need to know what the answer to this is.
And this is the message that our earnest information minister, Qamaruzzaman Kaira, should repeat ad nauseum from each and every platform. Unlike his predecessor, Mr Kaira seems to have reconciled to the fact that there is no one official spokesperson for the government. Possibly the most prolific spokesman remains Rehman Malik, now finally a minister.
Our next question should be, how should we be fighting this war? We can only wonder and sigh at the quality of discourse that we see on our broadcast media. Our more clueless analysts are being replaced by those who can best be described as lunatics. Such characters incite hate and despair, promote feelings of insecurity and violent behaviour. At this stage, we can see that the war on terror seems to be the problem of the west and the government. And yet, one does not have to look too far to understand how it has affected our daily lives. It is not only the suicide bombings and the elaborate, though somewhat useless, security steps that we see in place. But also, the rise of extremist thought amongst common persons and lay men.
Something is very wrong in a society that eulogizes the Taliban and its leadership. Our people are being pushed into extremism and intolerance not only by religious parties but also supposedly “saner” elements like people in our government, the media and in civil society. The sudden rush towards extremism comes from a lack of sound education and gap in critical thought. Our intellectuals are bankrupt. Our universities have become breeding grounds for incompetence and deception. Pakistani academia produces more plagiarized pieces than original ones. Cheating is rife in our examination centres. Our houses for learning have turned into centres for mediocrity. Marks are given on likes and dislikes or in exchange for money. Degrees are forged. Lecturers are appointed on loyalties. People are looking for short cuts.
Extremism too is a short cut. Such people are reducing Islam to a series of rituals and dress codes. And in this, Pakistanis are becoming more isolated and backward with each passing day. There are many who argue that people have turned to extremism because of frustration with daily life. And this is a valid point. This frustration is being channelized by various forces. Here is where the government comes in and this is what President Obama is referring to. People in Pakistan are worried with the present state of affairs but there is no one who can give them hope.
They are also fed up with the quality of governance. We are fed up with increasing corruption and the ironies that we are faced with on a daily basis. The fact that there is no proper health system in place and that all our leaders and their families manage to go for treatment abroad at state expense. The people are fed up with the unholy alliance between our health ministry and the pharmaceutical industry in which people don’t get cheap medicines, only newer - and more expensive versions of the same. And the government is blind to this.
We are fed up with the rising crime and terrorism and yet the fact that a sizeable chunk of the policemen, their vehicles and weapons have been appropriated by the VIPs One look at the convoys in which our civilian and military leadership travels makes one wonder whether we are a third world country or not. Why is it so that these leaders are able to purchase vehicles at our expense but the government has no money left over for buying public buses that are in a presentable state.
And to add insult to injury, we have our politicians to thank. Minister for power Raja Pervez Ashraf this week told the Senate that a “comprehensive plan” had been chalked out to eliminate power theft. Why does he not start with the theft by politicians and government servants? Senator Nilofer Bakhtiar of the PML-Q told the senate that her party plans to “unite the women of Malakand to fight for their rights.” This from a party that blindly endorsed in parliament the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation. Why do our politicians misguide us so much?
If that is not enough, then we have our bureaucrats. Chairman of the notoriously inefficient and corrupt Federal Board of Revenue recently shared this gem with journalists. Mr Ahmed Waqar said that the government plans to announce a “pro-poor” budget in which taxes will be imposed on the “richer classes”. No plan, just talk. No action, just rhetoric. Waqar should start by cleaning up his organization. We cannot keep on bribing the tax man and evading taxes.
While our leaders were engaged in “being economical with the truth,” Karachi saw an evening of unprecedented violence which the police leadership blames on the MQM. The MQM in turn blames the police leadership of patronizing the drug and land mafia in the city. In between, over 30 people lost their lives. Millions worth of property was destroyed. And yet, the well meaning Chief Minister did not even visit the injured in hospital.
What is most important in this is that the government has remained silent. While the country is in near crisis state, our president flies off to Libya to meet Colonel Qadhafi. The government seems to be moving from crisis to crisis. We have no plan under which we can engage with terrorism and extremism in the country. It is not enough to say that democracy will cure all. We have to have some sort of action plan in place. There is no defence strategy to deal with the issue. If there is, it does not have input from the civilian leadership.
If the US and the Friends of Pakistan give us money, where will we use it so that the frustration of the people is reduced? Will we finally focus on health, education and basic facilities for all or will we let this money also end up in grandiose projects that get us nowhere but make some richer and the rest poorer. If there is time for come clear thinking, it is now. Mere rhetoric will not do. We want assurances and some statement of intent. Otherwise, the battle for the hearts and minds of the people of Pakistan will be lost.
Email: kamal.siddiqi@thenews.com.pk
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