| August 31, 2005 | Wednesday | Rajab 25, 1426 |
A decade marked by fear?
THE opposition alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) is reported to have discussed in its Lahore meeting the option of calling for general elections under UN supervision. The ARD high command may discuss the proposal further at a meeting in Islamabad on Sept 3. Its reaction follows allegations of widespread fraud and intimidation both before, during and after the local body elections.
Whatever the thinking, because of such naive moves that the opposition has, over the years, lost ground to the military and its allies who are better equipped and organized. The military’s political power has increased by leaps and bounds because feudals of all sorts, and even many so-called champions of the middle and downtrodden classes, are willing to play second fiddle to the establishment. The mainstream political parties failed to galvanize their cadres and street power because of the compromises their leaders have made for self-sustenance. This has led to the demise of ideological politics and a mushroom growth of opportunists.
The setback to Pakistan People’s Party-backed candidates in Punjab and the interior of Sindh in the second phase of the violence-marred local elections, and the government’s claim that the outcome is a victory for the moderates and marks the defeat of ‘extremists’, has caused serious concern among political circles.
Does the PPP then, in the establishment’s estimation, fall in the category of extremists? The rulers had earlier described it as a liberal party with whom they had held talks aimed at forging a working relationship. Does it mean lumping all the opposition together and going alone now on the strength of the official League?
The PPP leadership is also to be blamed for the present situation because they were acting in their own fiefdoms like a public limited company where shareholders are more concerned about petty, personal interests rather than the overall health of the company. The party leadership took no serious or timely steps to counter the effect of the fragmentation of various districts in Sindh which were its strongholds.
They also failed to fully mobilize their cadres. Many workers are disenchanted because their leaders here were acting on the basis of vested interests. Over the years those who believed in a collective approach have been relegated into the background and self-centred and self- styled custodians of Z.A. Bhutto’s legacy have become stronger, causing the PPP’s fragmentation.
Be that as it may, the PPP’s retreat into the political backwaters, especially Sindh, could have serious negative ramifications on the political process and the integrity of the federation. One may agree with the government that in cases the defact of Awam Dost candidates in the local elections was due to the PPP’s own weaknesses, but how will government explain its role in denying funds for development work to opposition- controlled towns in Sindh.
Analysts are of the view that if the PPP is kept out of the political process through contrived methods, it might further polarize the political climate and the real extremist elements might get the upper hand, not only in the Sindh but also elsewhere in the country. It might strengthen nationalist tendencies in the provinces. There are reports that the PPP is looking into the possibility of forging a working relationship with Mumtaz Bhutto’s SNF in Larkana, although the latter’s attitude in the past caused serious problems for the PPP and the Bhutto family.
PPP cadres believe that the situation will not improve unless Ms Benazir Bhutto returns to lead from the front the campaign for the restoration of democracy. Some of them also complain that their leaders were using the party platform for pushing forward their own agendas.
The situation for the opposition can be retrieved if political forces can seriously organize themselves and motivate their workers on issues of common concern. They should not wait for divine intervention or the voluntary retreat of the military into its shell. Instead of calling for elections under UN supervision, they should seriously think why they were unable to appeal to the people on the question of growing unemployment, soaring prices, rising incidence of suicides and the precarious law and order situation. It all boils down to “roti, kapra, aur makan” which had propelled Zulfikar Ali Bhutto into the limelight and attacted mass support. The PPP and other opposition parties must consider why they have been unable to win similar popular support, although issues of common concern have become more serious and pressing.
KHAUF Key Asman Taley (Under the sky of fear) is a collection of 11 short stories by young critic and story writer Mobin Mirza. The literary body Darrak held a sitting last week to evaluate the stories, with Mazhar Jamil presiding over the deliberations.
Salman Siddiqui read out a paper discussing both the literary and social content of the collection. He said the prose appeared to flow calmly and serenely.
Shafiq Ahmad Shafiq liked the writing, but pointed out some lapses. A full length article was delivered by Rauf Niazi who discussed all the 11 stories and said these formed part of our social history. He lamented that contemporary history was not being written. Historians had abandoned their task and our national image was being shaped by institutions of the ruling elite. Mobin Mirza’s stories reflected our society and its characters. They also mirrored our pain and agony and our sense of loss. The writer, Niazi said, had described the sentiments of people afflicted by fear.
Shamshad Ahmad said the stories were well crafted and we had found “a promising new story teller”. Ahmad Saghir Siddiqui said Mirza’s style was not singularly different from other story writers, but his characters were seen as speaking for themselves, without the writer’s intervention.
Mazhar Jamil explained the changes Urdu fiction had gone through in the last six decades. Each period could be recognized by one main characteristic. For example, the period around the ’60s was discernible from the preceding years and spoke of change.
Mr Jamil said the period we were passing through reflected our fear, a common feature of the present times, well described by Mobin Mirza. He pointed out that romantic stories were no longer being written, and the trend had totally changed.
The art of fiction writing was not on the decline, he added, supporting the views earlier expressed by Shariq Balyavi and others who held that good stories were still being written.
SENIOR poet Shabnam Romani launched his third poetry collection, Dosra Himala, at the Pakistan Arts Council recently. Dr Jamil Jalebi, researcher and critic, was in the chair, and he described Romani’s work as marked by refinement and elegance of diction.
Among those who spoke were Dr Manzoor Ahmad and Prof Saher Ansari. Qaiser Najfi, who did the compering, also spoke highly about Romani who, he said, had always kept a low profile and never rushed to gain popularity.
Romani’s earlier poetry collections were Tohmat (all ghazals) and Jazeera. He attained instant appreciation and fame in the ‘60s after the publication of a long poem Masnavi Sair-e-Karachi, a satirical narrative. He is selective in the choice of words and can prove his creative talent in different forms, whether in free verse, ghazal or Haiku.
Dr Manzoor Ahmad found the poet a chiselled person, a quality that also found expression in his poetry. Romantic idealism was the hallmark of Romani’s art.
A YOUNG writer not much talked about in literary circles, Nisar Turabi, was the guest at Arbab-i-Adab last Thursday. Turabi hails from Multan and is doing his PhD from Karachi University on ‘Urdu ghazal in modern times’. He has already submitted his thesis to the university and is probably working on another topic. A keen researcher of poetry, Nisar Turabi is an accomplished poet.
Shadaab Ehsani spoke on Turabi’s diction in poetry and his theses. Haikus and a collection of ghazals, Har sada Musafir Hai, are two valued works by Turabi.
At the end, Nisar Turabi recited some of his ghazals, which were enjoyed by the audience, mostly consisting of poets. Noted poet Khalid Atiq was in the chair.
Poet Rafi-ud-din Raaz read out a brief critical essay, evaluating Turabi’s creative talent. Sarwar Javed said he had two criteria to judge the merits of someone’s poetry: first, does it carry an intellectual appeal and, second, does it give joy to the listeners? Turabi, he said, met both criteria. Ahmad Saghir Siddiqui found him a good poet and a good person.
THE Wolves are Coming Back is the title of a story by Hans Bender, read out at the Goethe Institut by Shamim Manzar last Friday. It was discussed by writers Shamshad Ahmad, Ali Haider Malik and some others. The key-word is ‘wolves’ which can only be understood in the historical perspective of the story.
Hans Bender, now 86, ended his story by saying: “The wolves are coming back. They’ve caught the scent of peace”. Did the writer mean the impending Cold War years?
If the historical background of the story was available, our task would have been made easier, Ghazi Salahuddin, who was presiding, said. Was there any analysis of the story ever published, he wanted to know from Shamim Manzar. There was no answer.
“Whatever I undertook, how I lived, where I travelled to, whom I met with, everything was directed by my love for literature,” Hans Bender wrote in his book, Like the lines of my Hand.
Poet Nasim Nazish presented a poem, ‘Platform’, depicting a railway journey — passengers on the moving train waving their hands to say goodbye to saddened relatives and friends on the platform. Such is life.