The Oxford Dictionary defines goofball as a ‘naive or stupid person’, such words are too kind yet true also for the convicted Prime Minister of Pakistan.

During Gilani’s recent UK tour he was interviewed by CNN’s Becky Anderson who confronted him on a recent poll that reported many Pakistanis were despondent and desperate to leave the country. Goofball Gilani being the supreme idiot that he is offered some sane advice to the people of Pakistan a la Marie Antoinette as shown below:

The above exchange needs no analysis, Gilani’s teeth and goof say it all. That said Gilani does offer good advice, so good that Messrs Gilani and Zardari should follow it religiously themselves, so go on gentlemen please leave Pakistan and lead the way.

Yeh daagh daagh ujala yeh shabguzeda sahar, woh intezar tha jiska yeh woh sahar to nahin (This black-sooted light, this night-smeared morning, this is not the morning we had waited for)

The immortal words of the great Faiz Ahmed Faiz above, have never been more pertinent.  Millions did not take to the streets, thousands did not get arrested and hundreds did not lay down their lives in the struggle for judicial independence, so that a Prime Minister convicted by the Supreme Court could stay in office and spend his time heaping abuse on the judiciary. The millions of who died during the birth pangs of the nation, or gave up their homes for Pakistan did not do so that this country would have the honour of a criminal Prime Minister. The arrogance and vehemence towards the Judiciary, and more worryingly towards the people of Punjab being expressed by this incompetent, impotent and corrupt administration is a slap on the faces of all who stood up for the rule of law and forced out Musharraf from office. Crippling inflation, endless power cuts and breakdown in law and order from Khyber to Karachi is the reward for those who bore batons and handcuffs so that constitutional order would prevail. Democracy has delivered the country from the arms of dictatorship, into the lap of selfish pygmies indifferent to the plight of the country and solely interested in plundering what they can whilst they have the chance.

Back in those heady days when we sang along to the words of that modern day Mir Jaffar – Aitzaz Ahsan – we believed naively that the nation’s problems would be resolved if democracy was given a chance. We thought a robust judiciary and a strong media would compel politicians, to govern according to the law and gradually this would result in a improvement in conditions for the people. We could not have been wrong. It does not matter if this cohort of dynastic super-wealthy politicians govern the country until the Last Day, no amount of time will be enough for them  to alleviate the conditions of the poor, or lift the country out the quagmire of economic and social collapse that we now face. It is time we faced the truth -nothing short of a genuine revolution that would institute a regime fundamentally different from the present model can even begin to address Pakistan’s problems. Democracy in Pakistan -at least of the Western kind- cannot and will not ever work..

This may seem like an extreme or emotional statement. It is nothing of the sort. Having considered the experience of every period of parliamentary democracy we are forced to this conclusion, however belatedly and unwillingly. The only spell of democracy that delivered for Pakistan was that of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, but this was due to the force of his own personality that allowed him to improve Pakistan inspite of, not because of our constitutional democracy. So why is democracy wrong for Pakistan? It is wrong because our feudal, dynastic elite is able to exploit the illiterate rural majority and use bribery, corruption and provincialism to ensure that the same families can rule the country and loot it generation after generation. The judiciary may have acted as a buffer against this, but the weakness of the bench hearing the case against Gillani has emboldened all future politicians that the Supreme Court can be bullied into making half-hearted judgements due to fear of political criticism. The 30 second punishment was a mockery of justice and undid any benefit to the nation that the ‘guilty’ verdict may have delivered.

Some might counter that Imran Khan’s PTI will provide a democractic and constitutional solution to our problems. I sincerley hope they are right, but there are reasons to be sceptical. Firstly Imran may be  overestimating his own support, especially given his attitude towards an alliance with a generally like-minded Nawaz Sharif. This can only benefit the PPP and its allies. Secondly, Imran will soon have to mould himself to the ‘ground realities’ of Pakistani politics which would mean alliances with the same forces of the status quo he is out to dislodge. Finally, the PPP-led government has already pre-rigged the election and hogged control of the senate and the PTI is now also more than partially made up of feudal politicians who are no better than the present lot. The point is that no matter how courageous and visionary, that great Pakistani called Imran Khan is, it is most likely that the ‘system’ will not allow him to deliver for the people of our country.

So can a ‘revolution’ the like of what we saw in Egypt and Libya save our country and its long-suffering inhabitants? The answer once again is probably ‘no’. We are far too divided, far too poorly educated, far too easy to manipulate. The entire history of our region is empty of any reference to a revolution of this kind, and there is nothing on the ground to suggest anything has changed. Furthermore if such a revolution did occur it would come with great blood-letting and could precipitate a civil war. What then are our remaining options? One scenario is all too familiar. PTV announcing that the Chief of Army Staff has dismissed the assemblies and suspended the constitution. This would be followed by jubilation in the streets and years of economic progress, but soon enough the cry for ‘democracy’ would be heard and a uniformed general would hold managed elections. Sooner rather than later the dictator would be kicked out and ‘democracy’ would return. With it would return the looters and the defunct system that allows them to plunder the nation’s wealth and starve its population.

What we need then, is for the military establishment to devise a solution that would be permanent and allow the country to progress without opening  doors to the likes of Zardari and Gillani. Here I present one possible scenerio:

The army chief should announce that the constitution has ceased to be effective. The army should present a new constitution. This constitution would maintain most of the essential aspects of the 1973 constitution but provide a radically different form of government. The head of state would be the Chief of the armed forces. The head of government should be a directly elected Prime Minister. The President and Prime Minister would appoint (by mutual consent) a legislative assembly consisting of retired judges, lawyers, bureaucrats, journalists etc with representation from all sections of society. All those who have held political office in the past would be ineligible. This assembly would elect from itself a cabinet with a minimum number of portfolios for a term of four years. The courts would be re-established and judges invited to take oath on the new constitution. Local bodies would be established to deliver progress at the grassroots level and the army would establish an anti-corruption cell to counter corruption at all levels of society.  Every four years a new Prime Minister would be directly elected, unless a motion of no confidence is passed in him or her by the assembly before that time. My choice for this ‘Prime Minister’ would be Imran Khan.

It is true this solution would depart from the concept of Pakistan envisaged by our Founding Fathers. But it would, in my view, actually take us closer to being the prosperous and just Islamic state this wished it to be. Today, by contrast the constitution is very much in line with the dreams of Allama Iqbal (rehmutullah alahi) but the country ‘governed’ by it is worse than his worst nightmare. My solution is just an idea, there are surely many better ideas out there and I invite those with them to put them in the public domain. But if Pakistan is to survive and prosper, I am absolutely convinced our political elite must be barred from ever holding office again.

April 2012’s B-side is a special B-side focusing on the conviction for contempt of court of Prime Minister Gilani. The B-side begins by sharing the views of respected Pakistani journalists in Syed Talat Hussain and Mohammed Malick on Gilani’s conviction. To conclude, legal arguments are considered via an excellent article by Babar Sattar, thus April 2012’S B-side contents include:

1. Sign of Things to Come by SYED TALAT HUSSAIN
2. One Happy Convict by MOHAMMED MALICK
3. Another Badge of Honour by BABAR SATTAR

Given that all three articles are focused on the conviction of Prime Minister Gilani, it makes sense to comment on the articles together, though in turn.

Articles

The Syed Talat Hussain article is published in The Express Tribune and can be read here.

The Mohammed Malick article is published in The News and can be read here.

The Babar Sattar article is published in The News and can be read here.

WASIM VIEW- Readers will know of my respect for Syed Talat Hussain and will be surprised to hear of my criticisms of his article.  Hussain is overly optimistic in showering the Supreme Court with praise for its judgement, praising it for its dealing of a tough case. Hussain’s praise for the token punishment is misplaced as crime and punishment for any crime must be proportionate and not nuanced as alluded to in his article. Moreover I believe that Gilani deserved the full punishment of six months in jail for his wilful disregard for the rule of law and should have been made an example for he is Pakistan’s chief executive and chief law maker and thus the punishment should have reflected this.

The Supreme Court should have punished the Prime Minister and sent him to jail, full stop. Its half-pregnant approach has deservedly brought it ire, however supporters of an independent judiciary must not lose heart. The Supreme Court continues to be the sole ray of hope for a dark Pakistan, its strength does not rest in brute force but in a voluntarily practiced fiction of power which has been brilliantly explained by Akram Sheikh in an op-ed I read a while back. Indeed I share some of it to remind readers of this truth:

‘There is no courage in insulting an unarmed judge or unarmed speaker of national assembly. Otherwise, a dozen national assembly members can assault a speaker and a dozen lawyers can abuse any judge of Supreme Court. Perhaps many will appreciate the fact that Supreme Court has no objective powers and no weapons whatsoever. Whatever power it has, comes from voluntary and conscious deference of us lawyers and journalists, forcing the rest of the state functionaries and ordinary citizens to submit to this fiction of court’s powers. It is from this fictional powers that our expectation of establishing a law abiding society draws credence and possibility’ 

Mohammed Malick’s article meanwhile is overly negative and depressing for it at one points criticises the judges of the Supreme Court and makes lewd references to one Justice Dogar and his ilk, Such comparisons are unnecessary and untrue and are in poor taste for as I have said before the Supreme Court made the right judgement but delivered a weak and poor punishment for which criticism is deserved. This does not equate Justice Nasirul Mulk and his six brother judges with the sell-outs that were (Dog)ar and co.

Babar Sattar’s article is an excellent article that clearly focuses on the legal arguments of the case and is the best of the three articles in question. Sattar’s analysis of the case and its importance is well worth a read as his is an article that is neither congratulatory nor one of condemnation, rather it is balanced and insightful.

At a personal level, I await the detailed judgement from the Supreme Court and hope it will be authoritive and declare Gilani as a convict and unseat him from his office. As a passionate and principled supporter of the Supreme Court, I am left not disappinted but disgusted by the 32-second punishment which is nothing short of a joke. The Gilani government’s hijacking of the democracy-cum-parliament card is also a joke for the supposed supreme Parliament has supremely failed and serves only as an echo chamber that focuses on rhetoric and empty slogans.

In losing Cecil Chaudhry saab, Pakistan has lost of its best sons and one of its brightest stars.

Cecil Chaudhry saab’s loss should be felt by the whole nation for he was a true legend and a celebrated national hero who served his nation with distinction during war and peacetime. Cecil Chaudhry was a true follower of the Quaid who as a Christian believed in the white flag of our sabz-e-hilali and in the Quaid’s Pakistan and worked tirelessly to realise that dream for our minority communities during his life. An obituary in the Express Tribune here shares Cecil Chaudhry’s life story and it is shared below:

One of Pakistan most loved war heroes, Cecil Chaudhry, passed away in Lahore on Friday. Chaudhry, 70, was put on life support at Lahore’s Combined Military Hospital on Wednesday. He was suffering from lung cancer.

The son of FE Chaudhry, a former science teacher and Pakistan’s first photo-journalist, Chaudhry was schooled at St Anthony’s High School in Lahore before pursuing his BS in physics at the Forman Christian College. He subsequently joined the Pakistan Air Force Academy in 1958, where he studied aeronautics and mechanical engineering.

In the 1965 war with India, Flight Lieutenant Chaudhry shot down three Indian aircraft in one mission. In the 1971 war with India, he has a close call when his plane was hit over Indian territory but he managed to glide the plane back into Pakistan.

Four days later, he shot down two Indian fighters in the same area. He was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurrat and the Sitara-e-Basalat for his role in Pakistan’s war with India in 1965 in 1971.

Despite his national status, his career was interrupted in 1983 when, after returning from deputation in Iraq, he was told by the air force high command that he “would not be promoted any further.” Recovering from the shock, Chaudhry asked to be discharged in 1985.

It was apparent that Chaudhry’s faith and prominence had come in the way of his rise in the air force. But Chaudhry was not one to sit back and fade into oblivion. He became a human rights activist as well as taking on the position as the principal of St. Anthony’s College, Lahore and Saint Mary’s Academy, Rawalpindi. He retired from this post in July 2011.

In an interview he gave in 2001, Chaudhry minced no words when he said that discrimination in the armed forces started soon after General Ayub Khan took power in 1958. The discrimination was initially restricted to the army as “many generals felt that it would not do if a Christian general one day stood up and took power in Pakistan.”

The resentment against the non-Muslims then spread to other services by the time General Zia took power in 1977. Chaudhry said that Zia “totally played the religious card with the result that the forces were given a thorough clean up job both vertically and horizontally.” The purges went to the lowest levels where non-Muslims were eased out when they reached a certain rank.

An influential human rights activist, Chaudhry worked for educational reform and for the betterment of children with disabilities in his later years.

He advised and worked closely with former minorities’ affairs minister Shahbaz Bhatti and served as the executive secretary of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA). He was also affiliated with the National Commission for Justice and Peace and was instrumental in leading the fourteen year campaign that led to the restoration of Pakistan’s joint electorate system in 2002.

Talking to The Express Tribune, daughter Michelle Chaudhry said that she has lost not just her father, but a loving friend. He leaves behind three daughters and a son. Chairman APMA Dr Paul Bhatti announced 10 days of mourning over Chaudhry’s demise. His final rites will be performed on Sunday in Lahore.

The above obituary disgusted me at the end for it documented the evil of Zia’s Pakistan which purged giants such as Cecil Chaudhry saab owing to their wrong religion and promoted midgets and mice like Zia. A collection of interviews with Cecil Chaudhry saab provides a glimpse into the legend that fought gallantly for his country with valour and courage and I share them below:

Pakistan is unlikely to create another Cecil Chaudhry, indeed great Pakistanis like him are one-off’s, Allama Iqbal’s famous Urdu couplet aptly refers to Cecil Chaudhry when he said:

Hazaaron saal nargis apni benoori pey roti hai

Badi mushkil se hota hai chaman mein deedavar paida

RIP CECIL CHAUDHRY

The PPP government has stooped to a new low in recent days with Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s diatribe against the judiciary. The younger Zardari clearly has the Zardari gene and that too in droves, for like the elder Zardari he has chose to castigate and needlessely slander the Supreme Court of Pakistan for its alleged bias.

Such a frontal attack on the Supreme Court and thus the independence of the judiciary was made all the more painful and unbearable, given that the speech took place in front of one of the leaders of the lawyers movement, the one and only Aitzaz Ahsan. A post on the fall of Aitzaz Ahsan is forthcoming, however returning to Bilawal’s speech one cannot refrain from criticising it even though I have in the past eulogised him especially for his bold stance after the killing of Salmaan Taseer in my post Bilawal’s Brave Words here.

A video of Bilawal’s speech in two parts is shared below:

Bilawal’s speech at a PPP event marking the death anniversary of Bhutto saab was always likely to be charged, however he crossed all boundaries in his attack on the Supreme Court for its alleged bias. Worse, the contents of the speech fan ethnic friction and provincial disharmony by claiming that the Supreme Court is pro-Punjab and guilty of bias against other provinces especially Sindh. The full transcript of Bilawal’s speech courtesy of The Express Tribune including the most offensive of his statements emphasised by me in bold red italic is provided below:

Bismillah-ir-rahman Rahim When we mourn Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, we mourn, more than just a great man, the first popularly elected Prime Minister and first ever Sindhi President and Prime Minister of Pakistan. We mourn the murder of democracy. We mourn the murder of justice. We mourn for our country. The Supreme Court of Pakistan sentenced Shaheed Bhutto to death by hanging for a crime he did not commit. This judicial murder was not the first nor the last flawed decision our courts have made. Unfortunately our courts have often stood on the wrong side of history. From the Doctrine of Necessity, to the judicial murder of Shaheed Bhutto and the continued legitimization of violations of our constitution our court have not performed the role required of them by the constitution of Pakistan. In 2007, in the final months of the Dictatorship of the day, our courts gave us hope. The brave stance adopted by our judges and the support of the lawyers movement gave us hope that Pakistan would have a truly independent and impartial judiciary. The restoration of these judges by our Prime Minister was a truly historic milestone for our country. Now it is up to the courts to redeem their institutions sullied reputation in the eyes of history. Was their brave stance evidence of the beginning of a new era in Pakistan where the judges of our courts will be remembered for dispensing justice, supporting democracy and refusing to do the bidding of our establishment? Or was their stance in 2007 just the exception that proves the rule, were our hopes raised for naught? Must we learn the hard way that once a PCO judge always a PCO judge? Time will tell. I am confident that the PPP will finally get the justice we deserve in the eyes of history. I am confident the Supreme Court will deliver us this justice. I am confident the Supreme Court will not stand in the way. The Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto reference case is a golden opportunity for the Supreme Court. I expect the Supreme Court to finally provide us justice. Justice in the eyes of history – the court must set the record straight. Justice in the eyes of the law – the unholy judgment and the precedent set by it must be revoked. Justice in the eyes of the People, the PPP and Shaheed Bhutto’s family – we expect the Supreme Court to apologise for the role it played in the judicial murder of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. The Supreme Court once told us Shaheed Bhutto was Guilty. The court of history is on our side and has proved his innocence. There have been some positive developments in the decisions taken by the court to right the wrongs of the past. These developments give me the confidence to believe that the Bhuttos of Larkana will also get the justice they deserve. The Sharifs of Lahore have had their trumped up charges squashed by the courts. I do not believe there will be double standards. I do not believe that Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto of Larkana is hanged but he does not get justice from these courts while the Sharifs of Lahore are vindicated. Similarly the Asgar Khan case has finally been taken up by the Supreme Court. Shaheed Benazir Bhutto fought for more than a decade for this case to be heard. It is a positive development that following Imran Khan of Lahore’s demand the case has finally been heard. I have no doubt the forces that conspired against the PPP and Shaheed BB shall finally be exposed. Despite these positive developments there are also some worrying signs. More than 50% of terrorists presented before our courts have been freed. I am told there is a lack of evidence and the fault lies with the prosecution. The rapists of our sister Mukhtara Mai have been freed by the courts. Presumably for the same reasons. How can there be enough evidence to hang SZAB but not enough evidence to keep terrorists and rapists in prison. How can there be enough evidence to keep Benazir Bhutto Shaheed, President Zardari and Prime Minister Gillani in prison for so long without a conviction but rapists and terrorists are set free. How can there be enough evidence to attempt to try the grave of Shaheed Mohatarma Benazir Bhutto but rapists and terrorists are set free? I urge the courts to proceed with caution. I urge the courts to revisit their flawed decision in the Mukhtara Mai case. I urge the court to help keep our country safe by convicting terrorists for the atrocities they have committed. I urge the court to remember how they got where they are today. On May 12, 2007, 40 members of my party lost their lives supporting this Chief Justice and the cause of an independent judiciary. Is this what they deserve? When will we get justice? The courts are dangerously close to repeating the mistakes of the past. They should resist the temptation to obey the dictation of the establishment. We cannot allow the court to dig up my mothers grave and put her martyred corpse on trial. Mr. Prime Minister you will not violate Vienna convention, you will not violate the Constitution of Pakistan, you will not desecrate the graves of our martyrs. You may lose your office. You may lose your government but you must do what is right. There is not only the Supreme Court, there is also the court of the people and the court of history. The Supreme Court told us Shaheed Bhutto was guilty. They hanged Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto of Larkana, but the court of the people and the court of history was on our side and we have been vindicated. Just as Shaheed Bhutto was vindicated, you too shall be vindicated. They can threaten to send Yousaf Raza Gillani of Multan to prison but he is a follower of Bhutto Shaheed. We do not fear prison cells. We do not fear death cells. As Shaheed Bhutto said. We would rather die at the hands of a dictator than at the hands of history. Let us pray that cooler heads prevail. Let us pray that our Supreme Court will once again choose to stand on the right side of history. Let us pray that there will not be double standards. That Shaheed Bhutto of Sindh was hanged but another Prime Minister from Punjab is freed. That Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto fought in every court in this country and around the world to maintain her innocence. While a former Prime Minister from Punjab, a self confessing, convicted accused is vindicated, while Shaheed BB is put on trial from her grave. That a Prime Minister who ransacked the Supreme Court is given better treatment over our Seraiki speaking prime minister who obeys the constitution and presents himself before the court is stripped of his constitutional rights. I have faith in the Pakistan Peoples Party. I have faith in democracy. I have faith in Pakistan. I have faith in you Mr. Prime Minister. You will make Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto proud. We will get justice. If not now. If not by this court. We will be vindicated in the courts of history. The people have spoken. We are all agreed.

Bilawal’s speech deserves criticism for it is a dangerous diatribe that seeks to divide Pakistan further in terms of ethnic and provincial lines. The references to the Sharifs and Khans of Lahore and Bhuttos of Larkana aims to set Punjabi against Sindhi against Pathan and deserves the harshest criticism, for is this not the root cause of Pakistan’s problems? Moreover Bilawal’s use of the so-called Sindh card is an affront to everything that ZAB or his grandfather stood for, as Bhutto saab was a unifying force who united Pakistan from Khyber to Karachi and never resorted to cheap and empty sloganeering in the name of Sindh, for he was as above all else a Pakistani.

My other criticisms of Bilawal’s speech relate to his allegations of Supreme Court bias agaisnt the PPP. Bilawal’s reference to the judicial murder of Bhutto saab is emotive and he is right to recall the negative role Pakistan’s judiciary has played in our chequered history. That said, it is this Supreme Court under the Chief Justice of Pakistan no less that is hearing the Presidential reference even though many legal minds have commented on the narrow scope the Supreme Court has in such Presidential references.

Bilawal’s criticism of PCO judges is a clear attack on the Chief Justice of Pakistan and is a pathetic cheap shot, for such criticism has been absent for President Zardari’s favoured PCO judges who led the (Dog)ar court under the stewardship of one Justice Dogar, I wonder if this is due to their shared Sindhi heritage?

Furthermore criticisms of judicial verdicts on terrorism cases is not new, with the courts making it clear that lack of evidence is hindering justice. However Bilawal’s criticisms would be more credible if he directed them to himself and his party and specifically to the much loved, lauded and supreme Parliament the PPP never tires to boasts about which has not devised any anti-terror laws since 2008.

Furthermore the PPP-led executive led by Prime Minister Gilani has done nothing to tackle the issue and thus  both institutions have a big role to play even today in ensuring all terrorists are punished according to the law of the land. One must educate and inform the young gentleman that his father and our President and his party are capable of such endeavours, for President Zardari took no time in proclaiming the Civil Power regulations for FATA and PATA via a Presidential ordinance.

The Civil Power regulations in FATA were requested by the army and allow it to hold suspected terrorists at its leisure, I wonder why such measures have not been replicated in other parts of Pakistan given that the PPP is clearly upset at the release of terrorism suspects. Thus the real test of Bilawal must be whether he can push his party and Prime Minister whom he can lecture on Vienna conventions and the like to usher in legislation from the supreme Parliament that his party has graced with its presence, alternatively his father can of course usher in the same ordinance for other parts of Pakistan. I for one, will wait with bated breath to see how Bilawal fares in this ultimate test of his potential.

Concluding, it is clear that the failed PPP government mired in corruption and incompetence has nothing to offer Pakistan, and thus has now resorted to projecting itself as a victim as a part of a wider policy of victimhood against Sindh and democracy. Such dirty tricks are destructive to our democracy and dangerous and must be the brainchild of the elder Zardari whose radiant smile hides his cunning and callousness.

Bilawal’s speech has depressed me for I had hoped the next generation of PPP leaders would be better, however I can only pray that the younger Zardari is able to chart his own path, and most importantly of all, think of Pakistan above all else.

March 2012’s B-side covers a variety of issues and topics which combined provide the Pakistani people grounds for much needed optimism The B-side begins by an article by the respected Western journalist Peter Oborne on the real Pakistan and acts as a counterweight to the West’s lazy and negative stereotypes of the land of the pure. The second article written by the Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid charts the rise and potential of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and is a good read.

The final article is written by Sanjeev Miglani on a positive new development for Pakistan, that of improving Pakistan-Russia relations, thus March 2012’s B-side contents include:

1. Are We Wrong About Pakistan by PETER OBORNE
2. A Kennedy for Pakistan by MOHSIN HAMID
3. Beneath The Radar, A Russia-Pakistan Entete Takes Place by SANJEEV MIGLANI

The first article is one that will fill Pakistanis with joy for it blows to smithereens the Western stereotypes of Pakistan and is all the more credible given that it is written by the respected Western journalist, Peter Oborne. For this reason alone it is a must read.

Are We Wrong About Pakistan by Peter Oborne

The article is published on The Telegraph and can be read here.

WASIM VIEW- Peter Oborne’s article is brilliant and has forced its way into the March 2012 B-side even though it was written in February. Oborne’s article should be included in every Pakistan travel guide especially for those produced for a Western audience.

Moreover Oborne’s article and observations of the real Pakistan should be essential reading for all think tanks and so-called policy makers who spend day and night deriding the nation and casually cursing Pakistan and its people. Peter Oborne’s article provides a glimpse of the real Pakistan that is hidden like an iceberg from worldview, it is a Pakistan of resilience and compassion that has been made to suffer by its corrupt and useless leaders and external forces.

Oborne’s narration of Khalifa the day labourer’s resilience and the work of Care Foundation symbolise the inherent goodness in Pakistan and it is story true across Pakistan and never shared. However such stories must be shared and Peter Oborne’s article is a useful medium to carry this truth and he deserves praise for sharing such Pakistani truths.

Concluding, Oborne’s honest assessment of how 9/11 has took Pakistan on the brink of a civil war offers a neutral and sobering assessment of how the war on terror has adversely affected Pakistan. Such observations are rarely shared in the West and that too by a Western neutral journalist who has nothing to gain by singing praise for Pakistan. thus such observations need to be heard in the corridors of power, for Oborne’s key message is that Pakistan is a country with many home-made problems made all the more unstable by external forces. Oborne’s other message is as important and it is that Pakistan is also a welcoming place for mother-in laws and one and all.

The second article charts the rise of Imran Khan’s PTI and it too is optimistic in its tone and is written by the Pakistani author, Mohsin Hamid.

A Kennedy for Pakistan by Mohsin Hamid

The article is published on The New York Review of Books and can be read here.

WASIM VIEW- Mohsin Hamid is an author by profession and his article is unsurprisingly lucid. Much of the article charts the rise of Imran Khan’s PTI and its mammoth rise in 2011 and Hamid is right to link Imran Khan’s rise to his appeal to young Pakistanis with two-thirds of the population are thirty or younger.

Hamid’s article is also good for offering new insights into the rise of the PTI and I for one learnt from his insights,, indeed I am convinced by his argument that Imran Khan’s background as a Pashtun based in Punjab has allowed Imran Khan to be more inclusive and thus offer the nation a much-needed unifying narrative which seeks to bind all Pakistanis under one roof as Pakistanis above all else. One has to admit, that the tsumami of support, Imran Khan has generated in recent months is evidence of his prowess in bringing together rrural and urban Pakistan on this very basis and politics aside, Imran Khan deserves endless praise for achieving such a miracle.

Hamid’s title for the article comes from his comparison of Imran Khan to John Kennedy owing to his natural good looks and this is the least serious of his observations. Concluding his article, Hamid is both excited and worried as to the potential of Imran Khan comparing him to the great Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the latter whom he selfishly and unnecessarily criticises for acting to the country’s detriment.

The final article is written on a positive development, that of improving Pakistan-Russia relations and is written by Sanjeev Migani.

Beneath The Radar, A Russia-Pakistan Entete Takes Place by Sanjeev Miglani

The article is published on Reuters and can be read here.

WASIM VIEW- Sanjeev Miglani’s article on improving Pakistan-Russia relations is well worth a read for all Pakistanis and anyone else interested in the geopolitics of Asia. Miglani’s article does well to explain the reasons for improved Pakistan-Russia relations and personally support such an endeavour.

For too long, the dark days of the cold war have blighted Pakistan-Russia relations and thus I must praise the Pakistani government including Messrs Zardari and Gilani for presiding over a thaw in relations. Miglani’s article speculates as to the driving forces behind such a thaw, irrespective of the reasons it is a very wise and timely step by Pakistan to engage Russia at a very critical time for the war in Afghanistan. Miglani’s writes of the potential for Pakistan-Russia energy cooperation from the TAPI pipeline to Thar coal and it is an observation I share,. Concluding I sincerely hope that Pakistan can develop a multi-vectored foreign policy and believe a better and long-standing relationship with Russia will benefit our people, especially in the field of energy.

Seven decades later, Pakistan is not the second Madina it was dreamt to be, however today is a day for hope not despair thus we must reaffirm and pledge to create the second Madina in Pakistan. The following moving video which includes the original voice of the Quaid should serve to remind us all of our raison d’etre as a nation and as a people and I share it below:

The Quaid’s words should act to remind us of our mission and let us today pledge to serve Pakistan, and create the Pakistan of Allama Iqbal and the Quaid.  Pakistan Zindabad

Satan drinks Shezan in Pakistan or at least that is one is supposed to believe in an increasingly intolerant Pakistan. The shameful decision by the Lahore Bar Association to ban the drinking of Shehzan in subordinate courts for its supposed Ahmadi links is more proof if any was needed of the ugly face of Pakistan.

The Lahore Bar Association and the wider lawyer fraternity should be ashamed of their actions in accepting pressure from the so-called Khatme Nabuwat Lawyers Forum to ban drinks made by Shezan on the basis that it is an Ahmadi concern. Such an action stinks of the stench of intolerance and takes discrimination against minorities and especially the Ahmadi community to shameful new heights, proving Zia’s Pakistan is alive and flourishing in what is today a polluted Pakistan.

As Pakistanis our individual and collective silence allows such scoundrels to deface our nation and our faith which is the real tragedy. I for one will forever drink Shezan for I will not be cow in to the madness that is modern day Muslim Pakistan. Thus I suppose the noble Muslim lawyers and other nutters who support the banning of Shehzan fear that by sipping Shehzan’s iconic mango drink it will contaminate the minds and or alter their beliefs, such is their strength of faith.

To finish, an editorial in The Express Tribune here  expresses best my feelings and fears regarding the Shehzan ban when it rightly wrote the following:

The evil of ignorance has obviously sunk deep within our society, leaving scars everywhere. The knives which inflict these wounds are carried by groups dedicated to spreading intolerance and campaigning against the minorities. The Ahmadis, of course, draw the special wrath of the forces committed to acting against them. When professionals such as lawyers, who should know more about justice than most, join hands with them, we can only wonder about the future of our country and ask what grim abyss we are headed for.

Pakistan must wake up and smell the coffee and chai and whatever else before it’s too late, for the monster of intolerance is devouring our nation thanks only to our silence, however it must be slayed before it devours us all.

February 2012’s Balochistan B-side is a B-side that reviews and reflects on the burning fire that is Balochistan. Exactly a year ago I expressed my grave concern for Pakistan’s most neglected province in February 2011’s Balochistan B-side here and wish to share my renewed fears in the loudest voice possible so that it helps to shake the Pakistani state to act now to save Balochistan from the evil plans of our enemies.

The Balochistan B-side looks at five of the most crucial and urgent must read articles every Pakistani should read together with Professor Akbar S Ahmed’s article on Balochistan here. February 2012’s B-side contents include:

1. The Baloch Who Is Not Missing by MOHAMMED HANIF
2. Nothing To Lose in Balochistan, Except Balochistan by SAROOP IJAZ
3. Silencing Of The Baloch Moderates by FAHD HUSSAIN
4. Saving Balochistan by MOHAMMED MALICK
5. Balochistan Is Not Beyond Hope by ZAFAR HILALY

Given that the subject matter of each of the articles is all things Balochistan, I will review each article together and in turn.

Balochistan B-side Articles

• The Baloch Who Is Not Missing by Mohammed Hanif can be read here
• Nothing To Lose in Balochistan, Except Balochistan by Saroop Ijaz can be read here
• Silencing Of The Baloch Moderates by Fahd Hussain can be read here
• Saving Balochistan by Mohammed Malick can be read here
• Balochistan Is Not Beyond Hope by Zafar Hilaly can be read here

WASIM VIEW- The first article by Mohammed Hanif about Jalil Reki sent a shiver down my spine and ashamed me as a Pakistani. The story of Balochi missing persons pains me, given that my Balochi brethren have been tortured and maimed in my name and in the name of so-called national security by the Pakistani state. Such cowardly acts by the so-called guardians of our frontiers in khakis or in other attire are an affront to the nation state the Quaid built and feed the monster of Baloch separatism and must stop now.

Messrs Kayani and Pasha and their friends in khakis and in the FC must be reminded that May 2 proved that national security is beyond them and that Pakistan’s security lies not in the West or East as a military idiot once boasted, but within its provinces. Thus Pakistan is made secure and stronger only by a strong and happy Balochistan that allows Pakistan to benefit from a peaceful within and without.

Hanif’s article is also a must read for it shows up the much-celebrated and self-congratulatory Pakistani media for its fleeting interest in Balochistan. The following sentence says it all ‘For Qadeer Baloch Jalil Reiki wasn’t a disputed statistic. He rallied other families and started an organisation called Voice of the Baloch Missing People. They camp outside the Quetta, Islamabad and Karachi press clubs sometimes for three months at a stretch. Journalists mostly ignore them’. Such a truth should ashame all Pakistani journalists from Syed Talat Hussain and Nusrat Javed to Hamid Mir and Najam Sethi. I must add my own name to the list of shame for as a Pakistani I too am guilty of the same fleeting interest as are you the reader of this post as are the silent majority of Pakistanis who let cowards in khakis and in suits act in our name , blunders which add fuel to Balochistan’s burning fire.

Saroop Ijaz’s article is laced with a pain for Balochistan that is felt in every word he writes. Ijaz’s article is written from the heart and he is right to lay the blame for thr raging fire that burns day and night in Balochistan, at our army leadership. In fact I echo his sentiment when he wrote ‘I do not know if and to what extent is there foreign intervention in Balochistan, however I am clear on the point that deprivation, strangulation and murder by our patriotic army has lead us to this situation.’

Fahd Hussain’s article is written lucidly and raises a key point with reference to the silencing of the Baloch moderates who are being pushed needlessly by the Pakistani state to extreme positions. Hussain is right to conclude that the only option is for the army to stop the killing and I will go further, and say that General Kayani and friends must be sacked forthwith by the government if they cannot fulfil such a mission.

Mohammed Malick’s article is an excellent write-up and once again brings to the fore the dire straits that Balochistan is in at present, Malick is right in calling for Balochistan to be treated as Pakistan’s most urgent priority and he is right to point out the acts of our enemies in the province to ferment Balochi separatism. I can only but echo every word he has written and hope that the Pakistani state acts now to serve the Balochi people as a mothering state and not the plundering state it has been for over six decades.

Last but not least Zafar Hilaly’s article is one of hope for it tries to cool down the rhetoric and rancour regarding Balochistan of recent weeks and paints a hopeful picture. I agree with Hilaly that all is not lost in Balochistan and that the state can and must act urgently to redress Balochi grievances and agree with his solution, in fact with any solution within the ambit of the Pakistani Constitution.

In concluding, one must begin by appreciating the evil works of a collection of jokers in the US Congress supporting Balochistan’s so-called right to self-determination. For that, one must thank the US Congressmen for waking up Pakistan from a coma of its own choice.

The five articles in this special Balochistan B-side are a tough read for they share the ugly truth that Pakistan as a state and as a people has failed to serve the Balochi people save for endless plundering of resources such as Sui gas. The army leadership shares most of the blame for Balochistan’s backwardness over the years and more recently it alone owns the disgraceful kill and dump policy that has resulted in the return of Balochi missing persons, either dead or part of the living dead.

As a polity, we must come down harder on the sacred cow that is the Pakistani army and curb its many acts of omission and commission. From this day forward, all Pakistanis must act together to force the army leadership especially Golf-loving Kayani and Pasha to let Balochistan be and grow up. The Chief Justice of Pakistan and the judiciary too need to get its act together on ensuring the fundamental rights of all Balochi citizens are safeguarded at all costs and not entertain needless cases regarding Kayani’s tenure and the like, for General Kayani and friends are dispensable but Balochistan is not.

The khaki kings of Pindi must dedicate their energies on serving the flag of Pakistan by winning over the Balochi people by providing development and not death. Balochistan is burning today and will continue to burn unless Pakistan and her people wake up from their slumber.

It is not very often that I can agree with the revered and respected Rehman Malik who said of Balochistan that ‘No-one will be allowed to set the Pakistan flag on fire. Pakistan will not disintegrate; it was created to live forever. Some foreign forces are creating hatred in Balochistan because they do not want to see Pakistan as a stable and developed state’. Pakistan and Balochistan can only progress if the former stops acting as a plundering state, and as citizens of Pakistan inside and outside we must do more to push and coerce our leaders to act now, to save Balochistan from the evil plans of our enemies within and without.

As a people we must become the voice for the voiceless in Balochistan and I for one pledge today that from this platform and others I will do all I can to serve Balochistan. An urdu couplet reminds us all of out national duty in showing our solidarity in deeds and not in words with Balochistan “Meray paas se guzar kar mera haal thak na poocha / Mein ye kaise maan jaaoon ke vo dur jaake roi” Balochistan and Pakistan Zindabad.

As a journalist, Sharmeen’s work has highlighted many key issues that blight the lives of Pakistani women over the years, and she deserves praise for her brave work that challenges stereotypes and seeks to awaken the Pakistani in us all to act to stop injustice in our motherland. Furthermore her work inspired parliamentarians such as Marvi Memon and others to act to usher in an acid crimes law for which they too and the normallpy apathetic Pakistani parliament deserves praise.

Another Pakistani who deserves praise and accolodes in Sharmeen’s Oscar story is Dr Mohammad Jawad who as a doctor has treated Pakistani acid victims and is the main subject of Sharmeen’s documentary. Indeed an excellent article on Dr Jawad published in the Guardian is worth a read and can be read here.

As a Pakistani I am proud of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Dr Mohammed Jawad and hope they inspire us all to serve Pakistan in our respective ways.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Dr Mohammed Jawad Zindabad