Less equal than others
Sir,
According to a recent statement, the people displaced by the military operation in the tribal areas will be able to go back home soon. But we must also remember where they will go. A land that has no law and order, no judicial system and no human rights. A few years ago,
Article 2 of the Constitution of Pakistan says the tribal areas ar part of Pakistan. On the other hand, Article 247(3) states that no act of the parliament shall extend to FATA or any part thereof. Article 247(7) debars the jurisdiction of superior courts to these areas. So the people here are not proper subjects of Pakistan because they do not even have the fundamental right of access to justice.
The so called law regulating this region is the product of colonial masters who use that black law to control these tribesmen. Justice Cornelius called it “obnoxious to all recognized modern principles governing the dispensation of justice”. Under this law, the political agent of the government is the only authority who decides the fate of the people at will. He can arrest and detain anybody and he can confiscate their properties as well. A whole family and even a whole village can be held responsible for the offense of one man. The political agent is the last forum of appeal.
I want to draw the attention of the parliamentarians to this tragic reality, so that before making rehabilitation plans for the IDPs they should also think about making them proper and equal citizens of Pakistan.
The jurisdiction of superior courts should be extended to FATA and parliamentarians should be empowered to legislate for the welfare of the tribal people. Educational and health facilities should be revamped in order to bring this region into the mainstream. The economic, social and political development of FATA is the only effective weapon against terrorism.
Muhammad Waqas Haral,
Chiniot.
Army’s role
Sir,
This is a response to former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf’s statement in favor a constitutional role for the army in politics. He must understand that enough damage has been inflicted on this country by military dictators and their choice of political parties and individuals. The problem lies not in democracy or the people of Pakistan, but in the insatiable greed of the ruling mediocrity, which has conspired since 1949 to change the vision of Jinnah and ignored his priority of a timely adoption of a constitution on which foundations of a modern democratic welfare state were to be built.
While addressing officers at Staff College on 14 June 1948, he said: “Defense forces are the most vital of all Pakistani services and correspondingly a very heavy responsibility and burden lies on your soldiers.” The Quaid reminded them of spirit and “constitutional and legal implications” of their oath and allegiance to the Dominion of Pakistan, which binds that “executive authority flows from the Head of the Government of Pakistan”, and “therefore any command or orders that may come to you cannot come without without sanction of the Executive Head. This is the legal position”.
There is no political role defined for armed forces in the constitution. If Pakistan has to listen to any advice on the matter, it must be the advice of the father of the nation, and not that of Musharraf. Gen Musharraf misruled this country for eight years, during which its sovereignty was violated, terrorism, corruption and politics of violence became a norm, and his policies of offering sanctuary to foreign terrorists and sacking superior judiciary backfired. He allowed private militias to emerge and today they challenge writ of state.
Tariq Ali,
Lahore.
Third world war
Sir,
What happened in Afghanistan during the course of the last 35 years was the Third World War with an interval. Coincidentally, it is ending in 2014 while the First World War began in 1914. It is the longest war of its kind. And the most severe impact of this war was on Pakistan, due to a number geopolitical factors. Usage of the term ‘Af-Pak region’ was recognition of this fact.
It is now imperative that Pakistan and Afghanistan should formulate a joint strategy for recovering from the effects of this terrible war. Peace and prosperity in these countries is in the vital national interest of their neighbors, such as Iran, Central Asia, China and India, as well as the United States of America. About half of the population of the world lives in these countries.
Taraq Jazy,
Islamabad.
Mobs are mobs
Sir,
May I be among the first to congratulate the PTI led by the redoubtable Captain on the most successful paralysis of Karachi. Of course, the democratic right to ‘peacefully enforced’ protest now will be the norm for around twenty legal and a larger number of fringe and supposedly proscribed parties that consider the city their fiefdom, and Karachi – Pakistan’s largest, most productive, and most cosmopolitan city – will rocket to progress. There is much to learn from IK’s meteoric launch to success.
I have enjoyed the holiday and am delighted to see Karachi’s response to this prolonged dharna. In a rare protest against those who have robbed the country, the elites, the educated, and tax payers have joined in a revolt with their less fortunate co-citizens, who otherwise have no voice to be heard other than tyre and vehicle burning or destruction of the city’s limited infrastructure. Whatever the financial losses today was party time for young and old, something not normally seen in Karachi’s other strikes or at sermons. Shershah’s old tyre sellers whose flaming products adorned the streets must be celebrating an early Christmas.
Naya Pakistan is around the corner. Watching history being made on TV I too joined an anticipatory jubilant Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the loud chorus of “Go Nawaz Go.” Not because of election discrepancies or because this government is more corrupt that any past or future government. Simply, Nawaz et al are utterly inept and totally on the wrong side of our Umpires. Anybody with half a brain can realize that. In the possibly deliberate darkness across large parts of the Punjab I hope that NS and his government recognize that reality.
The Captain and his team must now transform Pakistan into a model state where Truth and Justice and Education and Health for all, Women’s Empowerment and Human Rights become reality. He must stop sectarianism and terrorism; improve relationships with our neighbours, specifically India; turn the Economy around; bring the military under complete Constitutional control; and bring to reality some of those other wonderful things Mr Jinnah promised the nation. This infrastructural transformation to Rule of Law is not going to happen merely by punishing the looters and bringing back Pakistan’s looted wealth. It is also not going to happen with rhetoric –some of which is correct- or wishful thinking that Naya Pakistan will bear angels. Unfortunately he may not have too much time before the honeymoon is over. Mobs are mobs and at the whim of the gods the same, now emboldened and joyful crowds, can be out on the streets tomorrow doing exactly the same- or worse- for the next contender for the crown. One hopes that will not happen. Or else, perhaps he will be as gracious to their rights to protest.
This war of attrition has gone on long enough. Before we descend into total anarchy or a civil war the government must act decisively or capitulate to the pressures of an overpopulated nations’ desire for change.
Dr Mervyn Hosein,
Karachi.
Watch your words
Sir,
Some political parties who lay claim to the democratic right to peaceful protest show intolerance to dissent by attacking media houses which dare to criticize them. Recent attacks on the media during PTI’s political rallies and calls for shutdown, either voluntary or enforced through threats, intimidation and abuse expose a fascist mindset of a few within our political parties.
A free media without any responsibility does not serve to reform society, unless it enforces self censorship and does not allow itself to be tempted by ratings alone. Slander campaigns ignited by infighting between media houses should not be allowed to dominate airtime. It is such irresponsible journalism which leads to attacks against working journalists. Any physical attack by political activists, criminal gangs or terrorist and extremist religious mafia outfits against citizens or journalists are criminal acts, which must be dealt with severely. Unfortunately, some anchors in the electronic media have assumed the role of political activists or apologists, instead of acting as neutral moderators. Anchors supporting criminals, extremists or sectarian groups and journalists with vested interests bring more harm to the society than good. Unethical journalism must be stopped and penalized.
Media houses must enforce professional ethics when televising unnecessary prolonged coverage of protests, and live coverage of terrorism. Nowhere in developed civilized societies are identities of rape victims, their families or residences exposed, as they are in Pakistan.
Dramatized reenactment and gory details of murder and heinous crimes can poison young minds. It is time PEMRA or some effective regulatory body enforce strict discipline on the media if they do not impose a moral code on themselves.
Ali Malik,
Lahore.
Where it hurts – I
Sir,
Pakistan has seen one tragedy after another since 1947, but the coldblooded massacre of children in Peshawar on December 16 has torn my heart apart. My eyes are wet with rage as I write. My heart bleeds for those angels who had to die at such a young age. My heart bleeds for the innocent children who knew nothing about death but had to see their friends die in such a horrible way, and the parents who sent their children to school not knowing they will never come back. My heart bleeds for those the mothers who lost the meaning of their lives, and the fathers whose pride has been taken away from them.
Peshawar, which was known as the city of flowers, has now become the city of funerals. Every Pakistani, in fact every human in the world, has been shaken by the fact that humans can inflict such cruelty on their fellow humans. I have lost hope in humanity.
It makes me shiver when I think about those families and those homes, where parents are going through the agony of losing their children. Every school they pass by and every uniform the see will remind them of what they once had and now do not.
The fact that more than 500 Taliban terrorists are still alive in the jails of Pakistan makes me furious. It ignites this fire in me – the fire of revenge, the yearning to seek justice for my fellows who have suffered at the hands of these terrorists. Being a citizen of this country, I urge the government to hang these beasts who have committed such heinous crimes.
Zainab Mansoor,
Lahore.
Where it hurts – II
Sir,
The entire world is in shock because of the tragic terrorist attack in Peshawar. No one is ready to believe someone can murder 130 children for no reason at all. The Taliban are the number one enemy of humanity and have killed thousands of innocent people in suicide attacks, but it was still shocking for many that they would mercilessly kill so many children in such a way.
They claim that they were taking revenge from the armed forces, but that does not justify this brutal killing of children and their teachers at a school.
The tragic incident has left us with a lot of unanswered questions. Will our politicians rise to the occasion?
Rameesa Khan,
Lahore.
Where it hurts – III
Sir,
Gung-ho style hanging of prisoners in response to the attack at the Army Public School in Peshawar is not appropriate. States should not react like angry individuals. Mature states and societies do not act in vengeance. A state’s response to terrorism and violence should be strong but measured, wise and fair, and above all it must pass the legal test. Otherwise there will be no difference between those who break the law and those who defend it.
Punishing terrorist is necessary, but death penalty is not the only solution. After crossing many rivers of blood and violence human civilization has reached to the conclusion that taking a human life is not right whether it is carried out under the cover of law by a state, or by a group or individual.
A state should remove actual causes of crime. It must address those issues and reasons which create terrorists and turn some members of a society into beasts.
I know opposition to death penalty is an unpopular position at a time when emotions are running high due to the Army Public School atrocity and many previous terrorist acts. Grief is unbearable and accumulated anger is uncontrollable. But one has to say what he/she believes regardless of popularity. Tragedies test our resolve but they also help us grow and understand why such tragedies happen.
Terrorist are not born in a day. Homegrown terrorism could be result of our state policies and the double standards which we follow as a society. It could be reaction of unjust, unfair and non-transparent policies of the Pakistani state in the recent past. It could be result of our education system and the alien cultural values we have adopted in the past three decades. We condemn destructive consequences of terrorist acts but ignore a more important question: What caused this collective illness? Without identifying the root cause/s of the problem we can’t get rid of it.
Shiraz Paracha,
Islamabad.
Where it hurts – IV
Sir,
The hearts and spirit of my family and me, our neighbors, our friends in the business world, parents and teachers and the whole community are with the families of the murdered children and the people of Pakistan. We live in Berkeley, California, and we join the world in offering love, compassion and empathy to those recently afflicted by grief and sorrow. Anyone who fires a gun is a sick individual. Violence is not the answer. We join you in prayers for the restoration of sanity in Pakistan and the world.
DJ Neyhart,
Berkeley.
Where it hurts – V
Sir,
I am deeply hurt as I condemn the brutality that happened in Pakistan on December 16. Children are the backbones and the future of a nation. Killing children means killing the future generations. That is an unpardonable barbarity.
In this hour of sorrow, all of us in India offer our support to all of you in Pakistan. We pray that such attacks never happen again and hope that the culprits are caught and punished soon. With best regards and all the love and affection.
Asif Anwar Alig,
Arar.