Pakistan's Drift into Extremism, Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror !!

War on Terror is getting bloodier, resulting into bleeding Pakistan, dying civilians, bomb blasts, insecurity and killing of innocent civilians. Pakistanis generally believe that war on terror is imposed by Bush on Pakistan; invasion of Afghanistan is a scheme of US, India and Israel to destabilize Pakistan resulting in the break up and ultimate capture of nuclear weapons. It is well known that Islamists have always been used to extend Pakistani influence in Afghanistan, it has always been considered Pakistani backyard that provides strategic depth. It is also believed that in an environment of distrust and insecurity, it is imperative for Pakistani security agencies to find proxies to minimize insecurity posed by regional powers. To buy security various groups were recruited as proxies “Sept 09 Newsline Magazine writes”, Madrassas nurturing armies of young Islamic militants ready to embrace martyrdom have been on the rise for years in the Punjab. In fact, South Punjab has become the hub of jihadism. Yet, some how, there are still many people in Pakistan who refuse to acknowledge this threat. Four major militant outfits, the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT), are all comfortably ensconced in South Punjab (see article “Brothers in Arms” in Newsline). Sources claim that there are about 5,000 to 9,000 youth from South Punjab fighting in Afghanistan and Waziristan. A renowned Pakistani researcher, Hassan Abbas cites a figure of 2,000 youth engaged in Waziristan”. To me, it is logical that actions should be the by products of strategy, it is well known that strategically the extremist outfits have never been considered a threat by Pakistani security thinkers. US so far failed to address the security mindset, failed to remove their insecurities. Instead of addressing the issue at strategic level, US focus is too narrow, pushing reluctant Pakistan to act, forced to cooperate at tactical level. In short US failed to buy security for Pakistan and it seems two allies are pursuing different goals, relationship lacks goal alignment. Recent Hillary Clinton visit to Pakistan demonstrate that instead of focusing on changing the mindset , Ms Clinton again pushes reluctant Pakistan, New York Times writes, “ Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, on a visit meant to improve relations with Pakistan, strongly suggested Thursday that some Pakistani officials bore responsibility for allowing terrorists from Al Qaeda to operate from safe havens along this country’s frontier. “I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are, and couldn’t get to them if they really wanted to,” she said to a group of Pakistani journalists on her second day here. “Maybe that’s the case; maybe they’re not gettable. I don’t know.” US actions requires two pronged approach, alter the mindset that finds security for Pakistan in nurturing the extremists. US should work on convincing Pakistan that it is not in their benefit to use extremists, -help in buying them security esp. Indo-Pak ties and Afghanistan. On the other hand, problem is so deep; Can Pakistan affords to detach itself from religious ideology, security mindset visualizes the world through religious glasses, it means choosing friends and foes on the basis of religion?? Can it survive as democratic secular, non interfering welfare state, having peaceful relations with neighboring countries or national security state is the answer??? It is complex, only a win-win approach is going to be fruitful, US strategy must buy Pakistan security, otherwise any action imposed, may have random results. Extremist monster will haunt Pakistani society, region and result in an insecure world. It is time to act before it is too late.

More I Think More I Hate!!!

More I Think More I Hate!!! People lost conscious People have no civic sense They defy human sanctity They say no to civilization People love Lying It is a national character Backbiting is entertaining It is a national sport We love talking in the back Joy, fun, frolic is kick ass We love our religion Moral policing is second nature Ohh Women Stay away from women An object of sin So keep her away Save pious men She is to be beaten She is born slave Man is superior Women is naïve Keep her as sex slave Produce babies And keep her in the cave Kill her in the name of honor Kill her in the name of morality Make her parade naked Bury her alive, she brings shame More I think more I hate More I think more I hate It is an ugly society I can not relate I feel alien I feel odd More I think more I hate More I think more I hate You screw around You are a macho You are a Man She enjoys freedom She is fast She is slut She is whore She is to be beaten She is born slave More I think more I hate More I think more I hate It is not the place i relate It is not the place i relate

The Kite Runner; Stealing is the only Sin????

 I came across an interesting movie/novel, following words made me think about the whole concept of morality. Conversation between child and father conveys a universal message; "Now, no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft. Do you understand that? "When you kill a man, you steal a life," Baba said. "You steal his wife’s right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. Do you see?" Think about it.

No Public Display of Affection- LUMS!

As LUMS student, I am sad to hear that premier institute has taken away the personal rights of students, when they announced ban on KISSING on campus. I had been following the email threads and discussions on pros and cons on Public Display of Affection, but I tend no to agree with argument that anything against the social norms should be banned.

Issue was raised when a student peck her boyfriend on the cheek during Ramadan. It was not a French Kiss rather a simple PECK.

Public display of affection is a debatable issue; everyone has his or her limits regarding how much is too much!! Socially if I look at, on the one hand there are many of my friends who do not shake hands on the other hand there are female friends who shake hands as well as kiss on the cheek. To me it is one’s personal choice and matter of comfort, no one should have right to dictate someone what is right or wrong.

Behind the doors as hypocrite society everything is acceptable but in public, majority wears a social mask and looks pious and expects others to behave as per THEIR defined framework. Was Peck on the cheek alarming or during Ramadan, well its personal choice if someone doesn’t follow religion, it is his or her choice. It doesn’t mean that if someone doesn’t follow the defined code of behavior, he or she is being disrespectful to religion or society. Come on, peck on the cheeks is simply a sweet natural human behavior, what is harm in it.

I have seen LUMS in harmony, students working under the umbrella of LUMS religious society, whatever they do they have liberty, similarly music society , Arts and Drama society, girls and guys attending prayers in the central mosque or students dancing in campus concerts, girls in Hejab and girls in Capri’s or Jeans with low neck are not frowned upon. To me, as long as if anything doesn’t affect others people should not have any issue.

I have seen female students sitting on the lap of fellow male students, why one should raise eyebrows, it is such a simple and natural human behavior.

Universities are places, students do not follow conventional wisdom and norms, Hippie culture was the by product of campuses, students defied the prevailing culture. LUMS is a place I came across students questioning the existence of God and relevance of religion, it is positive thing that one must question everything under the sun but at the same time one should not have any right to disrespect or hurt anyone’s feelings.

I guess to regulate student behavior is not going to help; if someone wants to get intimate I hardly think anything would stop him or her.

Its better to discuss the pros and cons of socially acceptable behavior and let students decide out of choice to practice socially acceptable norms or go their own away.

I expect LUMS would relook this; else Student bodies should challenge the behavior regulation.

This blog excerpts published in prestigious Indian media;

Zee News

(http://www.zeenews.com/news571784.html)

Deccan Herald

(http://www.deccanherald.com/content/31284/to-kiss-not-kiss-keeps.html)

Times of India

(http://iplextra.indiatimes.com/quote/0gqK9Zcdv27Ei?q=Pink)

The Statesman

(http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php

PIA’s in-flight Etiquettes and Manners Lecture!!!

It was six thirty I was inside PIAs flight heading from Lahore to Karachi. After tiring trip I thought of a good read and then go for nap. As usual airhostess continues with announcement, its routine and no one pays attention. Well, after a while, again a series of announcement continued, this time it simply made me attentive, it was an in flight etiquettes and manner lecture in the sky. I have been through one of the most boring flights of JAL from Tokyo to Osaka and one of the most interesting Delta flight North Carolina to Utah. PIA flight was weird, announcement sort of surprised me, it goes on; We request all passengers to use toilet properly, make sure It doesn’t choke, please avoid throwing spoons, knives, glass, plates, tissue paper, sanitary napkin. Please make sure you open the camode lid and remove tissue, when you are done, make sure you clean it. Do not throw water and offer ablution “Wadu for prayer”, this would flood the toilet. Flight is non smoking; please do not smoke in toilet. Do not throw tissue or water while seated. After the detailed lecture, for a while I thought as if I am taking flight from a jungle somewhere in Africa, Amazon or remote aborigines village in Australia, one may wonder, only a tribal or the most backward society living in medieval age may require above code of basic manners. Later I realized, well, we as a nation may have modern attire, money to fly but still lack very basic manners. When one sees a well dressed guy with expensive vehicle, it is not surprising if that person lacks the basic road behaviors. On the one hand I got backwardness and civilizational reality check, on the other hand I started thinking about etiquettes and manners police in Japan. Japanese nation is already polite, yet wants to make sure it is enforced so that they would be able to sustain unique socio-cultural value of courteousness. I am afraid, nations learn and move on but we on the other hand are in the regressive mode, when it comes to basic etiquettes. I guess 60 years are enough to have basic civic etiquettes and manners !!!!

Kerry Lugar Bill “If You don’t Like us & Want us”- Solution is Simple, don’t Take the aid!

Recently, Kerry Lugar bill has been introduced, it plans to grant Pakistan, USD 1.5 billion in five years time, it is termed an Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act. Bill promises the grant to extremism stricken Pakistan, poised with economic problems. Lately I came across interesting media debate in Pakistan; most of the sensational TV stations are condemning the strings attached to the bill. I am sure most of the participants in talk shows have not read the bill, yet opposing it. Instead of Pakistan’s worrying about grant, US should be worried whether billions would buy them peace or not, what if funding falls through or if Pakistan fails against the benchmark or conditions. Kerry Lugar bill discussion always reminds me of recent BBC blog written by Wusatullah Khan, he simply asks “Why would Pakistan not approach Saudi to grant Oil for three months, Why would Pakistan not ask China for just USD 100 million grant” at least US is buying peace for the region, extending a grant of over USD 1.5 billion, shouldn’t they have right to put conditions. Recent Musharraf revelation on the misuse of USD Billions grant in last 8 years i.e., buying weapons to position Pakistan vis a vis India is not yet forgotten. As usual Jihadi supporters, parties like “Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan” have decided to intensify its campaign against the alleged US interference in the country’s internal matters and the Kerry-Lugar bill. To me, they are the immediate losers, because empowering people would close the Jihadi factory. To understand the bill passed by US Senate, I had a look at the details I came across that there are limitations on assistance mainly related to security such as limitation on Arms Transfer. Pakistan is seriously committed to war on terror; it should not worry about those limitations. Pakistan is committed to Non Proliferation, grant asks for cooperation for dismantling the supplier networks related to nuclear weapons related materials. It should not worry to any peace loving citizen of Pakistan. Pakistan believes in the stability of Afghanistan, bill requires Pakistan to not to support any of the group, again there is no need for Pakistani citizens to worry about. Bill calls for dismantling any alleged terrorist bases, if there are any; I guess it is good for the stability of Pakistan and the region.  Bill says, money could be used for the construction related activities. Bill also calls for increasing Pakistan’s counter insurgency capability; again, this would help our army to meet the internal threats effectively. Bill has strong monitoring mechanism so that purposeful use of the grant could be assured. To me I do not see any clause that enslaves Pakistan rather it would help us to have peaceful Pakistan, Afghanistan and world at large. If anyone is against the grant, they also know that Pakistan is in dire need of financial support, could they ask China for just USD 100 million or Saudi for free Oil for a quarter. It seems Pakistani media is suffering from Tunnel Vision; pseudo intellectualism is the order of the day. Hope sanity prevails.

Let me share an article and discussion took place in New York Times and Daily Dawn

"Salman Masood article showed two trendy young men sitting with the plastic replica of Rodney McDonald outside a McDonald’s joint in Islamabad. According to Masood, both men vehemently opposed the bill, saying that it ‘undermines Pakistan’s sovereignty".

Where are the schools, hospitals, a welfare system, political stability, a robust democracy, a healthy economy, and a life free of sectarian and religious strife, bigotry, bloodshed and hatred? We are all prisoners of certain delusions... Read More—about ourselves and about the many countries that we believe are constantly scheming against us. We refuse to free ourselves from these paranoid, self-serving apparitions and yet we demand sovereignty from the nefarious designs of our many (largely imagined) enemies. The enemy is us.

FELLOW PAKISTANIS MUST READ PERCEPTION OF OTHERS PUBLISHED in NYTIMES

Did anyone else notice the common threads between the different Pakistani voices represented in this article (and much of elsewhere too)?

a) they are virulently anti-American while professing admiration, support, etc....

b) they want more and more and more…money. In the form of aid. Don’t ask the billions given them, just in the last few years (and a lot more earlier). No accounting for that. But…they want more money. For what? so they can play the double games they have always played: train terrorists who wage their terrorism in neighboring countries and further away.

c) Blame India, Indians, and such. Not acknowledging that that country, since they broke with Pakistan, has gone on to graduate highly competent doctors, engineers, scientists, professionals. Scratch every terrorist in the world today and you’d find they graduated from …Pakistan. Tells a story of how two countries differed in the last few decades.Are we Americans to trust these sorts with nuclear weapons? Are we to trust them as partners in bringing peace in Afghanistan? If you continue to believe that lemme know for I have a bridge to sell you…

Solution is simple.

Don’t take the aid !

1.5 billion over 5 years

300 million per year

304,059,724 US Population...

$0.9867 per year per person. It’ll eventually add up.

They don’t like us and they don’t want us.

THEN WE SHOULDN”T GIVE THEM OUR MONEY