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.
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.
Pakistan – The Conspiracy theory
Yesterday, the Pakistani nation again was grieved over the deaths of over 140 people, when the welcome progression of the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto returning home after an 8 year “self imposed” exile was a target of another terrorist attack. She survived.
The electronic media as usual went on to capitalize on the event and had marathons discussing this, that, when, what, where or how. The people watched it live and had to watch it over and over again whether they liked it or not.
This led to the world condemning the attack and concerns were raised on different fronts while fingers were pointed to each other as is the case with our dirty politics. In fact, this dirty politics started from the word go when BB announced her return and pointed out that she was a Prime Minister from “Sindh”. Little did she know she was the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Just the people of Sindh could not elect her as the Prime Minister.
Already, the media again being a tool had spread the word that the Taliban had planned to assassinate her, which the Taliban plainly refuted. The Taliban don’t have the resources to cover Karachi. They are already busy and stretched in Afghanistan. And there are no Taliban in Pakistan. That is a misunderstanding of the West and a reason to suppress the Pakistani nation as the American people are used by their “levels of threat”.
Yes, there are sympathizers of the Taliban in Pakistan and surely the world over. All we need is an impartial consensus on the issue.
So, who would benefit from the assassination of the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto?
If I had to answer, I’d plainly state – The People of Pakistan.
Their sweet words are no longer tempting for us. Whether it be the Bhutto’s, the Shariff’s or whoever. They all have their deals to fulfill and damn care about the people.
And if we ponder on who suffered from this tragedy, the collective answer would be Pakistan. We are already being branded as a terrorist state and other forces trying to isolate us. For example, we had a French hitchhiker in Pakistan. He stayed for a week in Lahore and had plans to travel further. Somehow the French embassy in Pakistan came to know of his presences and sent him an email reminding him on how volatile the situation in Pakistan was and it was in his best interest that he got out of this country as soon as possible. “It’s ridiculous” was what Ludovic had to say in reply. He was warmly greeted by the people and he was all praises for the reception he received everywhere he went. But the embassy insisted that he move out. I haven’t heard from him since the past week and hope all is well with him. But certainly it would not be the threat from the Pakistani’s that’s keeping him silent but rather from his own embassy. This is the approach that the foreign countries have and try to implement their policy of isolation. Isolation would only bring in more mistrust and again quoting Ludovic: “The best way to have a positive and constructive dialogue is to have people to people contact”. And I do believe that is the best way to move forward.
Now, even South African cricket team are thinking of cutting short their tour to Pakistan. The worst effect came on the 1st Asian Sports Gala where 35 countries were to participate and now this event is also in jeopardy. What these countries and players don’t understand is that Pakistan is just like any other Asian country. So, a bomb blast in Pakistan is not different from a bomb blast in India. And in the history of Pakistan, no team has ever been the target of any terrorist activity. They need to realize this and not play in the hands of the forces that want to isolate the people of Pakistan.
Yes, Pakistan is having its problems of identification. We are still not sure after 60 years of independence what we achieved it for. And every dictator has his own version to tell about the reason for the creation of Pakistan. So does the present one who seems to be all intelligent, all knowing, all righteous and is of course all powerful. For people like me, Musharraf was a ray of light in the dark phase Pakistan was going thru. But his lust for power has made him no different than the rest. And now we just pray he leaves our lives for good. Pakistani’s hate him for killing his own people. No ruler in the past has done more damage to the federation as he has. All to appease the West and America in particular. He is a liar when he says we are fighting our own war on terrorism. And he will die a liar. There is no need to fight any war with your own people. If he can have deals with those whom he openly blamed for plundering the wealth of Pakistan then why not with others as well. But then, his stay in power would be of no use to the bigger forces. No doubt, he is their puppet and acts just as they want him to. And if there was to be an independent and transparent referendum, I doubt he would even get 5% votes. He can have a reality check if he wants to.
The future of Pakistan politics will be clearly divided into two groups which later on can turn up to be two parties. One’s who are “democratic”, pro-West, willing to fight against “terrorism” and those opposite to these.
PML(Q), PPP and MQM are in the first group as far as I see. The King’s party with Musharraf sharing the crown. As far as these three parties are concerned, they are not democratic in their own system so it is very difficult to imagine they will implement anything called democracy after they come to power again.
The other group will comprise of PML(N), MMA, Tehriek-e-Insaf and the other nationalist parties now known as APDM. Since there are slim chances of any genuine rig-free elections, this group will not have the pleasure of forming a government.
Whatever happens, Pakistan will survive these tyrants as it did in the past. And Pakistan will one day stand for what it believes and the reason why it got it’s independence. And that day is not far when the people of Pakistan will unite against these evil leaders and get rid of them. Till then, ALLAH bless Pakistan!
