Highlights of the July 2006 issue
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Off Centre
By Zaffar Abbas
The word is out. Yes, General Pervez Musharraf’s memoirs will soon hit the stands. And if the expectations of the publishing world are anything to go by, the book is likely to be a huge hit — probably a best-seller. Well, it’s somewhat understandable. The way the world has changed in the last few years, and the manner in which Pakistan’s military ruler has taken some crucial decisions in the game of international diplomacy, his image has received a dramatic boost. Indeed there are many people who would like to know more about the way Musharraf changed his views and politics after 9/11, dumped the Taliban and militancy to champion ‘enlightened moderation’ and the way he has used his personal influence to make Pakistan a more liberal society. But should we expect the memoirs to provide answers to all the questions about the mystery man that is Musharraf?
But first a bit about the book and the effort that went into
the preparation of these memoirs. Since the Western world started to look
towards Musharraf as a moderate Muslim leader who was fighting to reform his
country, as he was fighting for their cause, several British and American
publishers had been trying to sign him up for his autobiography. Finally the
deal was struck in early 2005 with New York’s Simon & Schuster. And if the
rumours doing the rounds in the international publishing world are to be
believed, the author has already been paid the paltry sum of one million dollars
as advance.
Between the Lines
By Idrees Bakhtiar
Pakistan’s squalid history of army rule compels one to reach the bizarre conclusion that the uniform haunts military dictators more than it bothers the people. Notwithstanding claims of omnipotence, the dictators find themselves in a vulnerable position once they have grabbed power. As the saying goes, once they bestride a lion they can’t afford to slip off. The moment they do, the lion will devour them. No wonder they try their best – or is it the worst – to cling to the power, until…
Ayub Khan, the first military dictator, was ambitious and
ruled the country for about 11 years. He never wanted to give up his uniform. So
he conferred upon himself the title of field marshal. However, when people up
rose against him he was forced to hand over to General Yahya Khan. In handing
over to Yahya Khan instead of the National Assembly speaker, Ayub Khan violated
the 1962 constitution, which he himself had promulgated. Perhaps he didn’t have
a choice. Some believe that Yahya Khan forced Ayub Khan to hand over power. Ayub
died an unceremonious death. Did he ever repent what he had done to the nation?
Perhaps not.
It is not without reason that football is known as “the beautiful game”. No other sport can stir up the levels of excitement and anticipation that herald the start of the FIFA World Cup every four years. The fever pitch built up across the globe on seven continents throughout last month and into July was unlike anything else in scale and passion. Despite fanatical protestations, cricket does not even come close. Riots broke out in the Bangladeshi city of Dhaka when disruption in the electricity supply prevented fervent football fans from watching the quarter-final between Germany and Argentina. This was no unbridled nationalistic fervour stoking the passions of these football hooligans. It was simply the love of the game.
The doubters simply have to look at the statistics. At least
half of the planet’s population tunes in to watch the football world cup every
four years. According to a survey conducted by the Fédération Internationale
Football Association (FIFA) in 2001, over 240 million people in over 200
countries play football at an amateur level. No other sport can claim
representation on such a scale. Many countries excel at this sport and others
take merely a passing interest in the football culture. But from China to
Brazil, they are united in their love of a sport that any kid with a ball to
kick around can understand.
Does the media reflect society or does society determine what the media
projects? It sounds like the same side of the coin but is it? The players are
the advertisers and clients, advertising agencies and the media i.e. television,
radio and print. Do they represent what we are or what they think we should be?
For example, we are a nation that most certainly does not list punctuality or
regard for time as a character trait. Yet if we were a reflection of what is
projected on television and the radio, it would appear that we have an almost
perverse obsession with time checks. Every television channel and radio station
testifies to the fact that the time check stops for nothing, not even live
programming. Apparently, it is quite acceptable to cut participants off
mid-sentence so that we can be secure in the knowledge that another 15 minutes
just ticked by.
It is business as usual at the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP). There is no
change in the tone of bailiffs shouting the names of litigants in the corridors,
of lawyers throwing legal points at the judges from across the aisle that
seperates them from the podium, or of judges delivering their verdicts on cranky
sound systems. The courtrooms are still filled with the stale smell of aging
woodwork, old and dusty registers and the sweating crowds of litigants and their
supporters. Nothing on the premises or along Islamabad’s Constitution Avenue
indicates that the SCP may be in the midst of its golden jubilee celebrations..
Uniform Judgements
By Idrees Bakhtiar
Once the judiciary in Pakistan finishes celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, it
is likely to land in the eye of yet another political storm which will have
repercussions not only for General Pervez Musharraf but also for the credibility
of the courts. It is not incorrect to say that all eyes will be on the superior
judiciary as the issue of Musharraf’s re-election comes to a head in 2007.
.
Three weeks into the tournament, the 2006 edition of the Football World Cup has
been far from vintage. Former superstars have struggled to end their careers
with a last shot at glory, goalkeepers have made schoolboy mistakes and, above
all, referees have taken centre stage. So far, more yellow and red cards have
been handed out than in any previous World Cup. And this is before the
quarter-finals have even been played. Referees, who used to be known as the
“seen and not heard brigade” have shouted themselves hoarse. And as the best
teams in the world gear up for the latter half of the tournaments, the referees
may yet decide who the eventual winners are.
When in-laws become outlaws
By Sabina Qazi
The mother-in-law, daughter-in-law animosity is a centuries old phenomenon.
Hostile, antagonistic and riddled with jealousy and possessiveness, it is a
relationship that is supposedly doomed to failure. Linguistically, too, our
choices determine how women perceive their mothers-in-law. The archaic form of
“mother-in-law” meant stepmother and in British slang, circa 1884, mother-in-law
was a “mixture of ales, old and bitter”. Similarly, scorn was heaped on the word
saas in the subcontinent. But how many of us know that saas is a derivative from
brij bhasha (the early Hindi language) and Urdu has its own kinder version that
most people seem to be unaware of, or prefer not to use — khushdaman. Today,
with education a top priority and the subsequent right to live a relatively
independent life, why do in-laws continue to figure prominently in cases of
divorce and broken engagements? Similarly alarming are the growing numbers of
broken relationships and the pretexts under which they occur.
From Cuba with Love
As a student of Political Science and Film at Hampshire College in Amherst,
Massachusetts, I was lucky enough to spend a semester studying in Havana, Cuba.
During my three months there, I, along with 12 American students and another
international student besides myself, worked with well-known artists and
academics, studying Cuban history, Spanish and working on a short film looking
at changing gender dynamics in post-revolutionary Cuba.