| January 04, 2008 | Friday | Zilhaj 24, 1428 |
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Damage to railway property
It’s unfortunate
Hillary Clinton’s advice
Suicide attacks, election campaigns
Severe punishments
The legendary Prof Zaki Hasan
Imagining future
It’s time for retreat
Probe by UN into Benazir’s murder
Forced departure
Readers are requested to restrict their comments to a maximum of 400 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for reasons of clarity and space. Letters, including those by e-mail, should carry the complete postal address of the sender. The views expressed in these columns do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper.—Editor
I AM beginning to think that changes emerging from the new scenario on the political front may not be as radical as the news media would have us believe. In the end, President Musharraf may be the ultimate beneficiary.
Although tainted by her not-so-outstanding past performance and corruption allegations, Benazir Bhutto was a proud person and was finding it difficult to keep her side of the bargain with the government. She was playing a wait-and-see game.
It would be far easier for President Musharraf to strike a deal with Asif Ali Zardari and Makhdoom Amin Fahim. Aitzaz Ahsan conveniently out of the way, other leaders within the PPP or millions of ordinary supporters do not matter in the grand scheme of things.
Present posturing of the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) aside, I see them coming together right before or after the election, unless, the rest of the opposition joins hands against this likely alliance.
However, such unity among the opposition is highly unlikely. Maulana Fazl is already trying to find a good place in the new set-up. Nawaz Sharif is also convinced, just like Benazir Bhutto, that without the USA’s blessing no party can succeed in Pakistan, so he is hesitant to join hands with the opposition on the one-point agenda of removing President Musharraf.
Similarly, the ANP is now more keen on roaming the power corridors than democracy. Other groups like Jamat-i-Islami or Tehrik-i-Insaf do not have enough popular backing to launch an effective campaign on their own.
Ultimately it seems that civil society of Pakistan (lawyers, journalists, intellectuals, artists, human rights activists and others), which has finally realised after eight long years that supporting President Musharraf is not the same as supporting liberalism (quite the opposite in my opinion), is alone in the battle for a real democracy, at least for a couple of years.
So let us brace ourselves for another round of manipulated, army-supervised democracy in Pakistan and keep our grand imaginary plans for a progressive, democratic and prosperous Pakistan on hold for a few more years.
LIAQAT ALI
Singapore
THE wilful destruction of national railway assets by enraged and instigated mobs and the sheer apathy on the part of the authorities we have just witnessed is the cumulative result of a lack of education, opportunity, basic necessities and the right to be heard, quintessential benefits derived only from accountable democracy painstakingly nurtured and nourished over the years.
Sadly, the ruling feudal, civil and especially the military elite have all failed the country on this count. More tragically, no lessons are being learnt.
No sane person would ever condone such a wanton display of destruction, but it is not entirely beyond commonsensical comprehension as to why an enraged populace with years of pent-up rage and with no proper channel or civil avenue to vent their fury, would indulge in such a self-defeating exercise as destroying the very infrastructure they are supposed to benefit from, regardless of how questionable that benefit might be.
While the loss of precious life, limb and property is tragic, the Pakistan Railways is the nation’s heritage and it should have been accorded the respect and protection due such an entity. This heritage is uniquely intrinsic to daily life. Its physical manifestations, both symbolically and literally, are links of national cohesion and this in itself has tremendous strategic implications.
As a result of the riots in the 1980s and 1990s, it took almost four years for the railways to get back on track, no pun intended. Some of that destruction was so severe, it was considered not worthy of resuscitation.
With now three times the damage, what with 26 locomotives and 140 rakes burnt, numerous stations destroyed, signalling and microwave systems shattered, fish-plates and rails removed — a loss estimated to be a colossal Rs12 billion — how long will it take to revive all this? One shudders at the thought.
And the heart truly bleeds.
SUBAK RAFTAR
Los Angeles, USA
BENAZIR Bhutto’s tragic assassination is a great loss for the country. But in view of her decision to participate in mass electoral rallies, like the ones witnessed in the last week of her political campaigning despite her own fears for her life and warnings from all corners, it was not entirely unexpected.
She and her political advisers very well knew that even President Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz (with much tighter security circles around) narrowly escaped such attacks (like herself on 18/10 at Karsaz) by sheer strokes of luck only. Her fatal decision to pop out of the sunroof of her armoured car also proves that ‘Death is inevitable when the time comes’.
There have been dozens of tragic assassinations of ‘great world leaders’ across the globe in the past. Liaquat Ali Khan, Mohandas Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Mr Bandaranayke, JFK, RFK, King Faisal and Rafiq Harriri, to name a few. All condemned by the whole world and all irreplaceable leaders in their own positions.
Emotional reactions by individuals out of shock and anger (to some extent only) cannot be ruled out. But the massive and brutal carnage and organised destruction of public and private property plus life as well as national assets like railways, bridges and petrol pumps can only be termed criminal.
Sadly and very regrettable nowhere else did we see such an example of indiscriminate carnage and destruction. It is not love for the departed soul but hatred for mankind that we express by such deeds. Even though the absolute illiterate (but sane) very well know that no amount of vengeance and destruction can bring anybody back to life again.
The loss of life and property carried out is a black mark for the whole nation which cannot be washed away. Once again we are bent upon proving to the world that we remain one of the most illiterate and ungovernable nations, and sadly are not even ashamed of it.
IJTABA ZAIDI
Karachi
THE US presidential candidate, Senator Hillary Clinton, has suggested that president Musharraf should not be asked to step down, saying if he did that at this point, it may create a difficult situation (Dawn, Dec 31).
She asked: “Who would take his place, how would that ever be worked out?” Also: “This is not a country which has a history of peaceful successions.”
Ms Clinton is obviously unaware of some facts. After the previous military ruler Gen Ziaul Haq had died in an air crash in 1988, instead of taking over, the then COAS Gen Mirza Aslam Beg had ensured an absolutely peaceful transition.
This was accomplished by letting the chairman of the Senate, Ghulam Ishaque Khan, to become the acting president as per Pakistan’s Constitution, due to which elections were held on schedule and Benazir Bhutto was able to become the democratically-elected prime minister for her first tenure.
Apart from that, after the fall of East Pakistan, Gen Yahya Khan had handed over power to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, father of Benazir Bhutto, in December 1971, which also was a peaceful and democratic affair.
Therefore, this time, too, there should be no problem if President Musharraf quits by handing over to Senate chairman Soomro, as envisioned by the Constitution.
This should remove biggest part of the problem and fulfil the major demand of most Pakistanis — as also indicated by several surveys of the International Republican Institute — and their political leaders.
After that all parties should be able to go to the polls, true democracy would be restored and extremism/terrorism tackled effectively with the backing of 160 million Pakistanis.
A free judiciary (that had instilled so much hope in the masses), rule of law and efforts of civil society, all of which are restrained at present, would catalyse everything.
A. ALEEM
Karachi
The recent incident of suicide attack on Dec 27 in the public meeting of PPP asserts that the traditional means of running and organising election campaigns by arranging larger gatherings of people is not at all safe and secure, neither for the public nor for political leaders and the workers themselves.
Suicide bombers can sabotage the peaceful gatherings by flames and blood at any time, thereby risking the lives of everyone.
Keeping in view the current scenario, it now stands as a moral responsibility of our political leaders to adopt new and innovative methods of organising their campaign by effectively using both electronic and print media.
They may use myriads of private TV channels to express their points of view and strategies; or they may utilise print media as an alternative by publishing their political agendas or distributing pamphlets supporting their cause.
Such campaigns will prove to be not only more comprehensive but also more convincing and elucidating to the public effectively.
MUBASHER JAMIL
Rawalpindi
Thank you very much for a very well-written editorial ‘Violent shock to economy’ (Jan 1). I may add that the law enforcement and security alone cannot deliver the results — it is just not possible.
What we need is severe punishment to those who contributed to this carnage, a thorough inquiry to understand how and who coordinated this carnage across the country; and a warning to political parties and their supporters, and a set of clear laws designed to protect the nation from criminals.
We look towards the West for guidance on democracy; it may not be a bad idea to look towards the West for guidance on punishing those that destroy government and private property.
AMJAD WYNE
Washington
I HAD the privilege of working with the legendary (late) Prof Zaki Hasan for over three decades and would like to share this enriching experience with your esteemed readers.
Prof Zaki Hasan had a multi-faceted persona, each facet exuding radiance. A perfect physician, teacher, father and a friend, he devoted his entire life to relieving the agony of others.
I have yet to come across a human being who can surpass his ability to reach out to the common man in the street. Anyone who came in contact with him was ‘touched’ for life.
Prof Hasan shared one thing common with Sigmund Freud, Adler and some others: all trained as neurologists but opted to practise psychiatry, instead.
We Pakistanis, as a nation, owe it to this great man to have pioneered the concept of making psychiatry a part of a general medical hospital practice rather than continuing with the age-old stigmatised practice of separate ‘mental hospitals’.
He had the foresight to help reduce stigma of ‘mental’ illness in Pakistan. This well-deserved unique honour was unfortunately never properly acknowledged by the medical community of Pakistan and fell victim to the in-politics amongst the champions of psychiatry in the country.
The individual contribution of Prof Zaki Hasan towards psychiatry in the country remains unmatched by all collective efforts put together by others.
Apart from his devotion to the medical profession, in his spare time, he was an ardent supporter and worker of a prominent national political party, this again in an effort to serve the common man.
Being an intellectual and a great orator, he was often called upon to write speeches for the party leaders. However, being the honourable gentleman he was, he would never divulge this information to anyone.
He would unassumingly sit in the audience, listen to the very speech written by him and reiterate others’ comments of “What a great speech”. If I was to sum up as to what I learned from Prof Zaki Hasan, I would optimise it to three areas: an everlasting respect for human dignity, maintaining wit at even the worst moment and adding wisdom to rigid textbook medical knowledge.
The last quality is a rare commodity in the medical profession, which made him a rare breed. I am sure that Prof Zaki Hasan has left very fond memories in the hearts of hundreds of thousands who would cherish them for life.
PROF HASAN AZIZ
Karachi
JOHN Lennon is a legend. His song Imagine will live in our hearts forever. In martyrdom, Benazir Bhutto has become a legend. She gave her life for democracy. Although never her fan, I am deeply saddened that she is no more amongst us.
Imagine, if instead of declaring emergency, Pervez Musharraf had accepted the Supreme Court verdict and given up his presidency we would have had a strong and independent media and judiciary — the two pillars of state that could have changed the destiny of this country.
Corruption and nepotism would have been replaced with accountability and performance. Imagine, what a legacy Musharraf could have left behind. Benazir Bhutto would still be alive today. We would not be considered a pariah nation.
Just imagine ……….
ASIM I. SHAIKH
Karachi
I was shocked and kept hoping against hope that Benazir Bhutto would be saved by the doctors. Her loss is a huge vacuum in the Pakistan political scene and a big loss to the poor people of Pakistan. I greatly loved, admired and supported whilst monitoring and following her every movement and rally.
May Almighty Allah rest her soul in peace, and give the people of Pakistan the strength to mourn her death and to refrain from excessive violence, but have the wisdom to identify and select another strong leader with as strong a resolve and dedication as she had.
SIMON PETER PYEMENY
Kampala, Uganda
JUST when we all thought that things were returning to normalcy and looking up to the coming election, this most dastardly but highly professional act of eliminating Benazir Bhutto took place.
We see shameless declarations of affection, reverence and esteem from all those who have used most foul language on record against her and some of these crocodiles rushing to Larkana to gain shameless political mileage.
Needless to say that Zardari clan seems to be the biggest beneficiary of all.
We have to understand that the enemy is not only well armed, shrewdly intelligent, resourceful, technologically suave but amongst us.
The so-called moderates are confined to chattering classes and are well-known to the extremists that these spineless souls will never rise or lay claim to Pakistan.
If we don’t take up cudgels, rise up and deliver lethal strikes against Islamic extremism and the ugly tribal interpretation of Islam, we are doomed forever and should start writing an elegy for Jinnah’s Pakistan and inscribing our epitaphs.
We don’t see any leadership, there’s no writ of law and institutions are breaking up. The all-powerful, high and mighty army needs to do some soul-searching and take off its khaki goggles and look at the country with the eyes of average tax-paying persons who are no less patriots to appreciate the plight, dismay and depression this nation is suffering from.
It needs to realise that since 1971 its popularity is all-time low and that it is time for graceful retreat and to bid farewell to politics forever.
SYED KHAWAR MEHDI
Karachi
THE death of Benazir Bhutto, chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party, has been a very sad and tragic loss not only for Pakistanis but for many leaders and people around the world.
We saw innumerable condolences and statements from every corner of the world over this sad incident, but now is required a pressure on the UN by all the influential forums to request for an independent inquest of Ms Bhutto.
Given the present situation in Pakistan (a) where there are serious concerns that the present judiciary is not independent and was handpicked by the executive, (b) conflicting reports coming in regarding how Ms Bhutto was assassinated, especially ISPR’s statements, statements from the doctors who were present at the Rawalpindi hospital where Ms Bhutto died, (c) all the evidence at the scene of murder was hosed down on the very night Ms Bhutto passed away, (d) photographs from amateurs and (e) latest video footage from Channel 4 showing Benazir Bhutto was definitely hit by bullets fired at her. It has become quite crucial to have an independent inquest of Ms Bhutto.
President Musharraf’s inquiries would not mean anything even if they are conducted by foreign experts at his behest.
What we need is an independent inquiry, independently ordered by an independent body as seen in Lebanese PM’s murder.
World leaders must now show solidarity against this heinous act by demanding the UN for an inquest of Benazir Bhutto.
This is the least they can do to address this serious issue, giving mere consoling statements would not do any justice to Bhutto and the people of Pakistan.
ASIM H. AKHUND
Karachi
ANOTHER darkest day of Pakistan’s history – an assassination of the brave Daughter of the East in the midst of her supporters.
Another brilliant leader of Pakistan, who was regarded as a chain between all four provinces, was brutally murdered just 28 years after her father — who brought hope and motivation to the people of Pakistan and its defeated army in 1971 — faced the so-called judicial murder.
Once again, the spin masters in the so-called caretaker government — which is mostly an extension of the PML (Q) — puts another clumsy spin on the whole situation by blaming the shadowy enemies, ‘uncontrollable’ circumstances and cover-ups.
The sudden and forced departure of Ms Bhutto from the political scene left her party in total disarray.
Although, the PPP does not lack the mature leadership but, unfortunately, like other major political parties, it lacks the leaders who have explicit following in all the provinces.
The Bhutto family was not only the symbol of unity inside the party but also, to a large extent, it represents the people of the whole country.
At this turn of the history, Sanam Bhutto should have taken the charge of the party.
It is true that Sanam Bhutto may not have the political experience, maturity and vision like her father and her sister but she belongs to a family which gave Pakistan among the best leaders of the country.
Her entrance to the political scene will not only assure the unity and integrity of the party, but it will also defeat those forces which are systematically removing the Bhutto dynasty from Pakistani politics.
MISBAH AZAM
Phoenix, USA
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