Long March – What YOU can do
The fight for independent judiciary is reaching its final phase, where the government is utilizing all its resources to crush the peoples movement. There are a brave few who will be on the streets of each city protesting for their basic right to have a FREE and INDEPENDENT judiciary while the majority who also support this cause may remain indoors glued to their television sets praying for the success of the movement. We need to involve them into this movement also.Calling them unpatriotic would be unjust. Maybe they have other priorities above this cause or they are still unaware of the damage that this country will face if this movement fails. Or maybe, they have not been mobilised properly. The fear of being beaten like animals by the law enforcement agencies should also be running their minds, making it difficult for them to participate in this make or break movement in Pakistan’s history.
But, we can certainly make sure that they also participate in some form or the other, just to put enough pressure on the government to realise that their personal ambitions should not overcome the need of the people. For that, they do not need to come out on the streets to protest.
OK, I want to protest without going out to the streets. What can I do?
Well, there are a lot of ways to make your voice heard. Below are some of the things which can be done to show support for the movement.
- We can host black flags on our house rooftops, offices, cars, motorbikes, shops and even on the chowks.
- There are a lot of national songs which are available online also. Download them and play them to the full volume. Let the air of Pakistan be full with these patriotic music. The Long March committee has also released their official theme songs a.k.a. tarana. You can download this song from here. Play it out loud. Those boys who have a habit of playing loud music when they drive can for 1 day put this up rather than any Indian or Pakistan film songs.
- Wear black band on your arms to show your support for the Long March and disgust at the government high handedness on the marchers.
- Wear black clothes on the 16th. (Black represents the lawyers movement and also is a symbol of protest)
- The governor has allowed the Lahories to enjoy basant on Saturday and Sunday. Reply him back by playing national songs and the long march tarana on your rooftops if of all you want to enjoy basant.
- Every house has empty plastic bottles of different beverage companies. Please fill these bottles with cold water and have it distributed to the participants of the Long March. Quenching someone’s thirst is the biggest reward of all.
Time is short, so start sending emails, SMS to your friends and relatives to participate in this movement in some form or the other.
An email or a SMS from you can spark this motivation and on the 16th you may find millions of homes having black flags on their roofs, thousands of people playing national songs in their cars, hundreds of people offering water to the participants of the long march and almost everyone you see would be wearing black clothes.
Maybe then YOU can take a deep breath and say that you have played your part.
“To every man and nation comes a moment to decide” this is our moment in history -lets not let it become a lost opportunity. PAKISTAN PAINDABAD
Slave to the system – No more!
The event everybody had been waiting for is finally approaching. The Long March – which needs little introduction now.As I write, the COAS has just met the Prime Minister, US & UK ambassadors are currently having a meeting with him. Section 144 has been imposed in half the country resulting in arrests of politicians, lawyers and the civil society while the President Hazrat Asif Ali Zardari has fled the country since yesterday on a tour to Iran which will later take him to the UAE, his second home. OK, I know I am sounding comical, but whenever such a situation arises, I wonder why the President leaves the country.
Living in a country where every passing minute brings more frustration to the masses and fortune to the rulers has made the people stand up for something. Of all the ills the former dictator Musharaf had, we must credit him with something. He maybe what he was, but he was never anti-Pakistan. This was the very man that brought the slogan – Pakistan First. Plundering the wealth of Pakistan was least on his mind. That does not mean that we should not bring him to justice for his crimes, but the nation has more pressing issues at hand.
One such issue has been the restoration of the Judiciary which was sidelined by Musharaf for not toeing to his liking.
After repeated claims by the PPP to restore judiciary once they are elected by the people in the last year’s election – the PPP took a U turn after the assassination of Benazir and luck shining on Zardari meant that he was the dictator of not only the PPP but the country also. He intelligently brought the PML-N and other allies into believing that all would be fine soon – and after having his way to the presidency thought he had the last laugh.
Zardari made many vows to restore the judiciary with the PML-N and to the people of Pakistan while he had secretly vowed never to do it. Ironically, in a media appearance he stated that he had made a vow, verbally and written BUT that was not the Quran or Hadith which cannot be changed. The PPP general secretary Jahangir Badr reported that the PPP had asked for pardon from the people for going back on their word and it was “Islamic” to ask for pardon for not keeping one’s word. Have the people pardoned them is a different story – one none of the PPP would be willing to listen.
Now, as time passes by and the deadline for the long march is approaching – the nation is gripped to this uncertainty that looms the country. The government is hell bent to stop the long march at all costs otherwise they would be packing up from the Presidential palace while the nation is also motivated and committed to not let the opportunity pass by this time to change their destination and free themselves from the unseen masters since 1947.
Those who say that NRO is NOT the reason for Zardari’s refusal to reinstatement the judges are living in a fool’s world.
Those who say that cases against Hazrat Asif Ali Zardari were political, need to meet the people of Pakistan face to face.
Those who say that the present judiciary is making decisions on merit need to join the PPP.
Those who claim that the long march will lead Pakistan into further chaos need to bite their hands.
Shootout with Liberty
I am really upset today. An sms from my nephew asking me about the updates on the shoot out at Liberty did not raise any alarms for me until I switched on the tele. It was as if my sleepy eyes were dreaming. The time taken from reading the sms to switching the television on maybe a minute and in that minute, I had thought only that there must be a dispute between two rival groups or some political procession being fired on by the police. But the news channels were all showing something which resemebeled to the seige in Mumbai. It certainly seemed like watching the next episode of the Mumbai drama. Men with same outfits, same kind of bag packs, simillar manovering and exactly the same motive.
The news that hurt me the most was the attack on the Sri Lankan team. We Pakistani’s are used to attacks (I know, so are the Lankans) ever since that nuisance of War on Terror started but why had it to be an attack on the visiting Sri Lankan team? I am a big fan of Sangakara and Murli and it pained me to know that they were also injured although slightly and were completely out of danger.
The Pakistani government has a lot of explaining to do and just an inquiry into the matter will not work, neither the Governor’s early wake up and visit to the scene. We need to know why were the visitors attacked and what were our security forces doing? Was this the protocol that had been promised to them? The shootout lasted about an hour and the Gulberg Police Station is JUST a minute walk away from the scene!
Liberty is one of the most famous areas of hanging out for the Lahori people and the tourists. It is also the commercial hub of the city and main attraction for the youth to fill their spare time for some pleasure. The roundabout where the shoot out occurred is the busiest at morning hours due to school and office locations in the area. Picture this: You have LGS, Lords International School, Gulberg College for women, Pace, Hafeez Center, City Center, Al-Fateh shopping center AND 12 armed and dangerous men going wild with their guns.
The news channels showed footage of the scene being taken by some eye witness probably from the Coca Cola building or the CNBC office, where the terrorists are shown roaming around and shooting at will. Two of these terrorists also duck behind the Bank Al-Falah sign installed at the round about (the round about had been designed and maintained by Bank Al-Falah) like in any action movie before shooting again at their targets. Another couple of terrorists were walking around the bus stand carrying heavy weapons. It was hard to compare if the scenes were from Baghdad or Lahore. I must have crossed that round about a million times but never in my wildest dreams could have I thought of this to happen. Not in Liberty! (I will upload some pictures of the area soon to make better understand of the place and the scene.)
To top it all, those scum’s easily managed to escape from the scene littering the place with hand grenades, rocket launchers, kalashankovs and pistols. Some hand grenades and pistols were found outside Al-Fateh shopping center. This means that the terrorists must have made it towards the Gulberg Park and on to either Cavalry, Firdous Market or Mecca Town or maybe back to Kalma Chowk even. Some of them were reported to have headed towards Model Town which is also a possibility.
1 Km to civil war
Pakistan nation witnessed yet again a terrorist attack on its soil. This time, it was the Marriot hotel in Islamabad which left over 50 dead and 100’s injured. The intensity of the blast was so huge that the spot where it occurred made a 25 feet hole and shattered all the windows in a 2 kilometer radius. This was just a blast among the many series that have been taking place, but this blast had some remarkable and important questions being asked.
Marriot hotel is not more than 1 kilometer from the Prime Minister’s house, the Presidency, the Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Secretariat. Therefore, this blast was an alarm sent to all those concerned that we are heading towards a dead end. The security in the capital was said to be of high level, keeping in view that the President was to address the parliament after a gap of over 7 years. The city saw all the political newsmakers under one roof at the parliament building and just when the blast occurred, the Prime Minister was having his private party with all political, army and bureaucracy invited. That is when a truck laden with 1000 kg of explosive enters the capital and rams itself into the Marriot just 1 kilometer away from the symbol of the government’s writ.
The Prime Minister said that the target was the Prime Minister house and the Parliament while his advisor to the interior Rehman Malik said that the target was the Marriot itself. This showed the confusion and unstable position the government was in after the deadly blasts. It is rumored that Rehman Malik shouted “On the floor everyone” at the Prime Ministers ifftar party soon after the blast impact was felt, shattering the windows.
The blast, with TNT and RDX used in huge quantities has left the nation wondering – How close are we to a civil war if we are not there yet?
On achievements and impeachments
Yesterday, the coalition government announced their plans to impeach the President. In a joint communiqué, the leaders of the two main coalition parties held Musharaf responsible for all the present circumstances in which the country was.
The coalition government claimed they had more than the 295 votes needed to bring the “tyrant” down. While the country held its nerves anxiously awaiting for the press conference which was delayed a couple of times, the President himself initially delayed his visit to China and later cancelled it all together. The president is said to be occupied with more compelling issues at hand. Islamabad was the city of intense political maneuvering with the coalition parties having intense and heated discussions on how to move forward while the President called in his old hawks for consultations on how to avoid or overcome the impeachment. The city also held the core commanders meeting the same day.
The President office took the first move by ordering the reinstatement of the deposed judges of the Sindh. This was seen by the PML-N as an unwanted act and Nawaz Sharif left the negotiations citing irritation at the move. The PPP was also taken aback by the announcement from their very own Law Ministry while the Prime Minister said he had no hand in the reinstatement of the judges. The focus of the meeting shifted to the Prime Minister house, where the announcement was cancelled and the judges issue was “freezed” until further notice.
The negotiations went on late at night and it was announced that the joint press conference would be held in Zardari house the next day. During the press conference, the Co-Chairman of the PPP, Asif Ali Zardari read out a written communiqué to the press in which he blamed the President of being incompetent and the reason for all the ills facing the country.
The President declared that he would not step down and would face the impeachment and answer questions in the assembly. This is the first time in the history of Pakistan that the president is being impeached. Only time can tell what the result of this impeachment will be and what lessons will be learned by the politicians and the people.
Bad timing:
The opposition were quick to defend their master calling it a bad timing to impeach the president while the majority of the people welcomed the decision with reservations. At the press conference, a journalist asked the coalition leaders if they had “asked” the army and the US before taking this step. In reply Asif Ali Zardari quoted “Democracy does not listen but tells” whereas Nawaz took it as “a joke for the foreign powers to interfere in their domestic issues”.
With the government already interfering in the affairs of the army by trying to bring the ISI under its control may have the generals worried and make it harder for them to side with the government who does not wish to see the army having too much power.
On impeachment:
The President fits the impeachment as a glove if and only if the government and its allies are really sincere in impeaching him. The cases against Musharraf and his kings party are enough to bring him down and make him face the law of the land and possibly punish him. Musharraf can be made an example for the future generation and prove that law still exist in the land and all those who try to break it no matter who they are will have to face the court and punishment.
Some of the most compelling acts under which the President can be impeached are:
His involvement in handing over Pakistani nationals to the US in return for the dollars.
His actions against the students of Lal Masjid.
His misadventures in Kargil which resulted in the innocent deaths of many of the army jawans.
Overthrowing an elected government under the disguise of “Plane Hijack” plot which to this day has no footings. During his speech to the nation after some hours, he accused the government of destroying the government institutions and according to him the only institution still working and indestructible was the army and therefore the army had to take over to avoid the fate of other institutions. Since his doctorial rule, that very institute has also been eroded and destroyed by this man.
His policies, like that of his masters of “no-negotiations but bullets” has left thousands dead or wounded and brought the very unity of the federation at stake.
His abusive use of power which rests with the president are alone enough to impeach him. The president according to the constitution of Pakistan is bipartisan whereas he himself confessed to creating the PML Q to support each other. This kings party ruled for 5 years under his orders and made a complete mess of the country. The then Prime Minister refuses to come to Pakistan to face charges of corruption. The very man, Musharraf praised and made sure became the Prime Minister. So, surely the two had something cooking.
Dream accomplished – Time to party!
They were on the road since 2006 realizing their dreams. For 2 years and 6 months they traveled from Australia to Switzerland by land and sea – on a bike, by hitchhiking, by tuk tuk, camel, tractor and a 1978 VW bus a.k.a. pimp.
Their journey will end on the 18th of October 2008 when they will finally reach their destination Switzerland after travelling almost 27 countries non-stop. Now its time they had a party!
Put two best mates together who are nature lovers, adventurers and a bit crazy too and what happens is a bicycle trip from Australia to Switzerland.
It started with an idea – it became a dream – then reality … which unfortunately had to change due to circumstances beyond their control
Some of their goals were:
· To travel from Australia to Switzerland by bicycle and alternative transportation (i.e. not tourist buses etc.) and occasional water crossings by boat. To begin this journey in Darwin, Australia in 2006 and complete it in Switzerland in 2008.
· Document the trip as a whole with still photography and video, focusing on social and environmental issues.
· To gear the images in this documentary for different possible outcomes. For example, a film about our journey, still photos and slide shows for exhibition.
· To live our dream!
For more information on them and their WILD trip, visit their official site www.alexkaeslin.com
1st anniversary of the Red Massacre
Operation silence
1 year ago, the “President” of Pakistan gave a signal to the security forces to execute what was termed to be “Operation Silence” which was carried out on the students of the Lal Masjid. The siege of the mosque was already put in place weeks earlier trying to strangle all possibilities of retaliation from the people holed up inside the mosque. With all of Pakistan watching in distress, the SSG (Special Service Group) under orders from President General Musharraf, himself a commando, who was personally guiding the operation, issued orders for final assault rejecting a compromise formula evolved earlier by Shujaat and ulema during talks with Ghazi.
This led to a 14 hour of heavy fighting, with the army pounding the place with all artillery available and the students giving a tough resistance in their last stand to what they termed as a tyrant, arrogant and un-Islamic system of governance. The government had claimed that there were foreign elements inside the mosque with heavy weapons, but Molana Abdul Rasheed Ghazi refuted the claim saying that there were only students inside the complex and they had only 14 licensed Kalashanakov’s to protect them. Last minute negotiations which were reaching a point of understanding between the administration and the people inside the Lal Masjid were suddenly stopped on the orders from the Presidency and the operation was given a go ahead signal, crushing any hopes of a peaceful end to the crisis.
These are the weapons the government so much feared
14 hours later, the army entered the complex which was burned and riddled with bullets but failed to find any foreign elements or heavy weapons as claimed earlier to show to the media to justify their action. The then Prime Minister, Shokat Aziz in a press conference termed the operation as “successful” while he went to eat ice cream with his family. The minister for religious affairs Ijaz Ul Haq, son of the former dictator Zia Ul Haq came on the media just to shed tears and show his helplessness against the brutality of his government and their master.
How many of the students died that day still remains a mystery which can only be uncovered once there is an independent trial on the issue.
Tribute
The Lal Masjid administration with thousands of participants from all over Pakistan paid rich tributes to the fallen “hero’s” of Operation Silence while convening a Shohida Conference at the very place the massacre took place exactly 1 year earlier. The government keeping the operation name in mind stayed silent. They did not bother to pay any tribute to the army jawans who had also fallen that day maybe knowing that it was not worth mentioning. But, the Pakistani nation pays tribute to them also and although they were forced to act by a man that has his own philosophies and can teach you on all life matters better than any other person alive or dead. Yes, he is our “President” – the all knowing man – General (Rtd.) Pervaiz Musharraf.
Let us pay tribute to the men who fell on that day from both sides as the “grand mufti” declared them both as martyrs.
The officer and jawans of the Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group,who were killed during active combat at the Lal Masjid- Jamia Hafsa compound. (1st Row L-R) Capt Salman Farooq Lodhi, Lance Naik Afsar Sayab, Naik Mohammad Saddique and Sepoy Mohammad Johar Naseem. (2nd Row L-R) Subedar Mohammad Inayat Sahi, Havaldar Mohammad Khan, Sepoy Mohammad Naseer and Sepoy Mohammad Khalid Khokar
May ALLAH forgive them all and accept their martyrdom.
Why it is important to impeach the President
He should have to answer for the massacre at the Lal Masjid and should be made an example for the future generations to follow. It is important that the nation takes him to trial for the atrocities committed against his own people, just like Saddam Hussain. His use of chemical weapons and naked aggression against his people should not and will not be forgotten. He has not only brought the country on the brink of a civil war but has also endangered the very existence of Pakistan just to stay in power and please his masters. This story was repeated many years ago in Iraq by another dictator and today the same is done in Pakistan. He preaches the west to look into the reasons for extremism but never follows his own advice. He is not only a danger for the federation but also for the reputation of the army that has nosedived ever since he started to have “revelations” about making Pakistan according to his likings.
A thought to reflect upon for the President
(Inside the Lal Masjid)
No Pakistani would advocate extremist views from both sides, but they would also not approve of the policy being adopted by the government.
Dr. Aafia Siddique – The rape of humanity
Of the many crimes committed by the “President” of Pakistan, General Pervaiz Musharraf, the disappearance of Pakistani nationals is the most heinous and worth taking him to court. Musharraf himself had confessed in his autobiography “In the line of fire” that he had handed many Pakistani’s to the US. All these people were abducted and handed over to the US without giving them a fair trial in their own country and without having any extradition treaty with the US. And he did receive a price for his services to the US and that too in dollars. So, selling Pakistani’s to other countries is what our President was busy at, making millions apart from the protocol he received within the country.
One such victim of Musharraf’s greed is Dr. Aafia Siddique. The sad story of Dr. Aafia Siddique is as follows:
AAafia Siddiqui has a biology degree from MIT and earned her PhD in cognitive neuroscience from Brandeis University. She like most of the immigrants in the US was “Americanated” and was divorced because her husband wanted their eldest son to attend a madrassa whereas she wanted her children to have “western” education. This alone is evidence enough to prove that Dr. Aafia was in no way an extremist until the FBI painted her as one.
She was on her way to the airport with her 3 children, when she was kidnapped by Musharraf’s henchmen and handed over to the FBI. The FBI had no evidence to prove she had links with Al-Qaeda and their “Most Wanted” list had AAafia as a suspect wanted for questioning only.
After 5 years of torture, rape and ill treatment, Dr. AAafia is said to have lost her senses whom the British journalist Yvonne Ridley dubbed “The Grey Lady of Bagram”
The US and Pakistani authorities had been denying that they had Dr. AAafia in custody since 2003 and then suddenly she appeared in the New York court with charges of firing at the military personnel who had come to investigate her.
Some thought to reflect upon
When Bush claims that “they (the Muslims in general) hate our way of living” he is right. Yes, we (the Muslims in general) hate it when the Americans take so much care of not even hurting the animals and have those so called Animal Rights Organizations, yet they have no remorse or guilt when it comes to these Muslims. So, for Americans hurting animals is far more a serious crime than humiliating and murdering Muslims. This is the American way of living that everyone hates.
When Bush on his last Asia trip accused China of human rights violations was so drunk that he did not forget the crimes he has committed on humanity. The Americans will be active protesting at other countries for their human rights violations and yet keep a blind eye at their own. This hypocrisy is what the Muslims hate. Under what law and in which legality had Dr. AAafia been kidnapped, tortured and raped?
When the Americans accuse Saddam of killing his own people and take all military action to capture and hang him in the name of humanity and on the same lines support other dictators and oppressors who kill their own people and kidnap them.
This is what the Muslims hate and when that hate combines, it becomes the hate against America.
To our President:
How much worth was Dr. Aafia Siddique?
Did you enjoy spending that money?
Witness to the Procession
Pakistan nationalism got a fresh breather yesterday when the Lawyers Long March at the gates of the President house was joined by people from all walks of life. Although it was dubbed as the Lawyers struggle for the restoration of the deposed judges, what was witnessed instead was to be a start for the change of the old system under which the people of Pakistan have been ruled ever since its independence.
Government figures showed that the gathering was not more than 30,000 while other organizations put the figure somewhere between 2,00,000 to 5,00,000. I being the witness to the procession can safely say that it was anything between 3,50,000 to 4,00,000 when at its peak. The figures can be controversial but what is unanimous is the fact that the majority of the participants came to the city without any “fund” and “luring” from any political party or utilizing the Lawyers march facilities. They came on their own and that too from far off places of Pakistan. I even saw people come to the capital from as far as Waziristan.
The city was already put on high alert and the security personnel were specially trained to be polite and “sympathetic” to the people coming for the march. This was something not imaginable but fortunately it’s true. Apart from the supply of electricity to the venue, the facilities provided by the government with regards to security and water were worth applauding although they had misjudged the number of people that would participate. People started reaching the place as early as 7 am while the first batch of lawyers to reach the place was somewhere around 12 pm. The venue was packed with people of all ages from as young as a 7 year old who came up on stage to give some wise suggestions to the president (in Punjabi: Sadar te hun to rehna nai, kaar de bartan toe – go Musharaf go) to a 90+ year old lady Aziz Begum who had come all the way from Wazirabad to lodge her protest. What was pleasing to note was the fact that it was not only a male dominated show but female presence was equally prominent and noisy. Everyone, whether they were the lawyers, civil society members, retired army and bureaucracy members, professionals, human rights activists, businessmen, students or any other profession had only one slogan – Go Musharaf Go! Some of the slogans are not decent enough to be listed here but the city atmosphere was echoed with slogans of “Go Musharaf Go” and “Hang Musharaf”. The wit of President was witnessed when the two flags were raised on the President house to let the people know that he was still inside and still stubborn.
The climax of the procession came when it was announced that the students of Lal Masjid had joined them. (Yes, they were the lucky ones to escape the massacre of Musharaf) The thundering claps by the people to welcome them at one time was enough to raise down the president building itself. The frustration and hate of the people towards Musharaf was clearly visible at that point and I am sure, had any leader ordered the people to march towards the President house no one would have stayed behind.
Aitizaz’s decision not to stage the sit in on the venue brought frustration on the people’s face and this was shown while he was giving his speech and the people started to shout anti Aitizaz slogans of “Abi nahi to kabi nahi” (Now or never). Aitizaz’s view that they did not have the funds to fulfill the demands for the sit in are baseless as the people who had come to protest had come without any funds from him and they would have stayed there on their own. I am pretty sure that the next day would have seen more people coming to join in against the theory of Aitizaz that the numbers would have decreased. Now, if the movement gives another call to the people and if they would respond equally is a million dollar question.
Although the event ended in an unplanned manner, what came out of this was an eye raiser for the establishment and a food for thought to the newly formed government that the people have become more practical and that this is just the beginning of what can become a people’s movement to change the system.
