People before policy

If there is one thing time has taught me, its to never – and I mean never – underestimate the power of the desi network. No matter what happens and to whom, news travels so fast that before the couple that decides to make it official has a chance to hold hands, their uncle's cousin's brother-in-law's best friend's sister will have the chance to gasp at the juicy scandal. What's more, the network has grown stronger with time and with the ease of texting it has the potential of wildfire! You don't even have to bother with talking to people you don't like anymore!

That said, my heart sank on September 11^th as I read ‘11,000 US troops to enter Pakistan – have you heard anything about this?’

See with it being 9/11, every American channel was broadcasting supposed patriots and no one here had really read / heard / seen anything about ground troops entering Pakistan. So we – that being me and everyone I mass sent the text to – searched frantically, from GEO news, to BBC online, to just about every channel on cable – nothing. And then finally, flipping impatiently to a CNN talk show with Senator McCain going on about how Americans are the better then the rest of the world – in all seriousness mind you – I saw a tiny news flash scroll across the bottom of my dinky television; ‘Bush authorizes ground troops to enter Pakistan.’

So what does that mean for a country about the size of Texas? Granted they are entering from the far north, areas that most of us haven’t even seen – out of sight, out of mind right? What most people don’t realize though is the gravity of having foreign soldiers on your soil with the common buzzing opinion being that the next 9/11 attacks may just come out of FATA. With General Kayani’s response to retaliate and defend our borders, foreseeing a potential mess, especially with Iraq still being a hot issue, even NATO has decided to step away. Tensions are increasing and everyday there is buzz about how Pakistan is going to be the ‘next great challenge’ for the world and the next US president. So why then, is there so little discussion from the general Pakistani?

The only retort I have heard about is reaction with diplomatic fury – what does that mean exactly? – regarding attacks on militants without prior approval from the green-and-white nation. But the helicopters continue to land and civilians become pawns weekly – the BBC reported 20 last week – in this grand war, o forgive my err, I meant ‘attack on a militant area’.  What’s more, the tribals who were for the most part supporting the government against the militants who insist on blowing up their school, are now just about being forced to take up arms to defend their homes and families. And even though the Pakistani army has allegedly warned the US that their aggressiveness will ‘widen the insurgency by uniting the tribesmen with the Taliban’ (quote BBC Sept. 16^th), the tactic does not seem to change.

Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way in favor of war – but I am very preachy of my belief that people are most important that policy. Why does the world not learn from history and past mistakes? Why do we not realize that you cannot always fight fire with fire? From Vietnam, to Afghanistan, to Iraq and now Pakistan, when has bombing the crap out of any given enemy worked? All that is lost is life and the sanctity of life – and in the meantime the ‘problem’ continues to grow. How can the first ever female candidate to run for Vice President support the Iraq war by stating ‘We are winning the war on terror because we have not been attacked since 2001” – mind you this is the same candidate who can see Russia from her front porch. What about all the lives lost in countries she cannot even pronounce? Of homes lost and scars left permanently, all I can say is that its very easy to sit back with a drink in your hand and discuss policy when you never have the time to research and understand the plight of the people.

But then, we as Pakistanis are guilty of this too. We sit back in coffee shops – home and abroad – and talk about policy just like the rest of the world. The average educated person knows which governments at home are corrupt – in their alleged nicknames and embezzlements in the billions – but we don’t do anything about it. We have lively debates about the sanctity of our nation but find it hard to unite – peacefully mind you, I really am weary of what I have read and witnessed in visits back home of student political groups burning tires (go figure the point of that) on highways. What we need is a peaceful voice, uprising, whatever you want to call it, against foreign boots on our soil. Pakistani’s – and the rest of the world – can hardly deal with another crazy war. Maybe its time to use the desi network – and that’s not exclusive to color or cast – as a tool that makes a change for once. 

Missing In The Puppeteers Game

An article in Dawn (online version) read:
“—WASHINGTON, Sept 7: The United States has formally informed Pakistan that it is holding six Pakistanis at Guantanamo Bay prison, including a businessman, accused of exporting nuclear weapons to other countries.
The list includes a so-called “high value” detainee, a nephew of the alleged 9-11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and two brothers who initiated a series of hunger strikes against their continued detention without charge.—”

In every court of law, in any country, it is hard to argue against the right to a fair trial. This right is explicitly proclaimed in Article Ten of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and Article Six of the European Convention of Human Rights, as well as numerous other constitutions and declarations throughout the world. Why then is it“alright”to skip this legal right when it suit a government to do so?

The red hot question then is why is it so convenient to skip this right when it comes to certain individuals? I am not judging what they did or did not do – but if someone argues that“terrorists” don't have rights I would like to remind them that each person is innocent until proven guilty.

Amongst the unfortunate souls that have just about vanished from society is the case of Aafia Siddqui – the charges against her being never proven and never even coming up until 5 years of her disappearance. Even now, her 3 young children remain listed as missing and who knows what fate they are in?
I am not questioning what she, or the others, may or may not have done – no what I want to know is who exactly determines that all these people can simply be denied basic human rights?

Former President / General Musharraf (what exactly is his title anyway?) must be accountable for his support and co-secrecy with the United States where he played God and “handed over” - Aafia Siddiqui being one of them – to US authorities. Dont get me wrong, I am not anti-Musharraf at all – simply put I deem him the best of the worst. But any half-brained wit, and keep in mind Musharraf is a smart man, could have foretold disastrous outcomes for ignoring the sanctity of basic human rights?

To quote Amnesty International, “The right to a fair trial is a cornerstone of democratic societies. How a person is treated when accused of a crime provides a concrete demonstration of how far a state respects human rights.—”

Unquestionably then the way the United States is and has handled all their apparent“suspects” is not legal, nor moral, in any court of law. US governments will come and go, our own President General is probably now choosing furniture for his farmhouse to retire in; yes the tide changes and brings about new avenues for everyone. But never for those unfortunate enough to be considered as casualties of this time that we live in – day after day, month after month they face the horrors of‘secret prisons, torture in Guantanamo Bay and their loved ones grow hoarse screaming for answers as their names get pushed further and further down on the notorious missing persons list of Pakistan.

The only thing left to see now is how the new lineup of puppeteers handle the situation. Batters up; Mr. 10% Zardari, and whoever is elected in the Nov. election.
No, it isn't fun to be Missing In The Puppeteers Game .

Always personal

With the coming and going of each ruler of Pakistan, its apparent that the country’s instability can be blamed on it’s erratic governance. As reminded ever so often by Ardershir Cowasjee, a fact that only his readers will recognize, Jinnah predicted this when he prophesized that each government in Pakistan would be progressively worse.

The problem with Pakistan, is the endless tirade of conversation about the “situation” – hell even I’m guilty of that! Thing is, the people who do live there are too busy planning the next shadi, or outfit, or their next vacation abroad. And those who do take the time to so much as read the newspaper all live abroad. Solution? Obviously to actually do something with all the 'enlightened' (HA!) minds and pull them back to Pakistan. But who will take the first step?

The leaders fighting ever so fiercely to establish democracy are the same ones who were thrown out, and even jailed, for stepping over just that system of governance. It amazes me that we are even allowing anyone without a higher education, those with a police record and those who have barely lived in our country to have a say in any affairs at all. And on that note, someone needs to enlighten Little Bilawal that impeachment is not revenge – and one cannot claim democracy as “revenge for his or her mother’s murder”. Does he know that the militants who probably killed his mother, are the same that she helped build up?

Thing is, everyone is so busy trying to get their own personal vendetta attention, that they forget about the 170 million poor Pakistani’s they are screwing over in the process.