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| The Military and the Mullahs Husain Naqi Tuesday, October 23, 2001 - Sha'aban 5,
1422 Military and mullah interference in
politics has landed Pakistan in the present mess. The compulsions that
forced the military regime's volte face instead of choosing a rollback to
the Stone Age is impossible for the mullahs to stomach. The regime also
appears to be reluctant to dump, once and for all, what has been regarded
by its intelligence outfits as the most dependable 'strategic asset' to
subvert democratic development. The hysterical outbursts of the mullahs and
their tools, the madrassah students, have come in handy for some political
parties who have uses religion as their main political slogan with little
electoral success. With them, there are a few retired veterans like Hamid
Gul, Aslam Beg, Abbasi and others who felt no anguish when the US granted
the title of jihad to their proxy war in Afghanistan. Since the Soviet
withdrawal, these super-faithfuls played no role in negotiating peace
between the Afghan warlords who all claimed they were fighting jihad.
Instead they abetted and applauded the imposition of the Taliban as a
'true Islamic' set-up and sought recognition for their regime as the
legitimate Afghan government. They were happy when similar militant
outfits were launched and pampered in Pakistan as being imbued with 'true
jihadi spirit'. Few among our so-called Islamists
identified the dangers those distortionist outfits posed within Pakistan
and elsewhere. Instead they endorsed the spilling of our youths' blood in
places as far away as Chechnya. This inflated their egos and coffers, and
their clout with the establishment. Pakistani promoters of Taliban all the
time stressed on the world to 'engage' them while they were engaged in
distorting Islam, demolishing Afghan heritage and oppressing the populace,
especially women and minorities. Till now Pakistan is the sole regime
recognising the Taliban regime. Now it feels compelled to distance itself
from Taliban 'holy' war-cries. But there are thousands if not hundreds of
thousands, who perceive the Taliban and their jihadi guest Osama bin Laden
as engaged in 'holy' pursuits. In Pakistan, there is a need to clear the
cobwebs of confusion both about the role of Osama and his Al-Qaida as well
as the Taliban regime that shelters them. Those vocally, in fact
violently, supporting Osama and his hosts, argue they are serving the
cause of our Muslims' faith and seeking justice for the causes of Muslims
worldwide, especially where they are victimised. Nothing could be more
fallacious. No evidence other than Osama and his outfits' involvement in
violent crimes is available. Osama and his outfit as well as their hosts,
have rendered no service to Muslim peoples or countries. They have only
been involved in indoctrinating and training them to commit violent
crimes, mostly against innocent people. With all the riches Osama and many
of his cohorts are reported to possess, little if anything has been
invested for the development of the people and their country. For the last
five years he and his 'holy' men are staying in Afghanistan but there have
been no reports of any institution of higher learning, any health facility
or shelter and food for drought-stricken Afghan people being provided by
them. There have, instead, appeared reports that he made funds available
to the Taliban for purchase of arms and commanders, including in Kabul and
in different provinces. In Pakistan, he is alleged to have funded both
sectarian killers and politicians to topple Benazir's government. The indoctrination Osama and his Al-Qaida
are engaged in has grievously harmed Muslim youths engaged in higher
education in developed countries (including a large number of Pakistanis).
Muslim nations' interests have been hurt and even irreparably damaged by
the fanatical motivation for waging war on the 'infidels' and to resurrect
the so-called Khilafat. To call violent crimes that result in killing
thousands of innocents 'holy' is blasphemous. It is the most lethal way of
scandalising the Islamic faith of a billion Muslims all over the globe. It
needs to be nipped in the bud by Muslims inspired by true Islam. Politicising any faith, be it Islam,
Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism (even thought it is not a faith) has
always proved dangerous and harmed the faithful. In the present time, it
would be all the more lethal and block the development of Muslims and
their countries. Faith needs to be a private affair, which was why the
Quaid-i-Azam clearly stated it should not interfere with affairs of state,
just on the eve of Independence. Circumstances appear to have compelled
the military-dominated bureaucratic Establishment to face this truth, now.
It is still reluctant to admit its deviations and distortions. That may
result in further destabilisation of Pakistan if the mullahs with their
madressah mobs continue to enjoy license to disrupt public life and engage
in violence while the ban on rallies and public meetings by democratic
parties stays. The regime's policy to restrict space for
political activities, of which public meetings and rallies are the
conventional form, while tolerating the misuse of mosques and markets by
the mullahs, will not take long to degenerate into mob violence. The angry
unemployed youth finding no other outlet may join the crowds and indulge
in arson and looting. The government direly needs to engage the moderate
and liberal democratic parties in tiding over the crisis. So far, it has
failed to do so. On their own the democratic parties which enjoy massive
electoral support in both urban and rural areas have denounced the
criminal terrorism in the US and sought an end to the Taliban-provided
safe haven. Leaders of mainstream parties have also urged withdrawal of
the Pakistan government's patronage to the Taliban and promoting their
inclusion in the future Afghan set-up under the false impression that the
Taliban represent the Pushtoon majority. The truth is that the Taliban
represent only a tiny bigoted minority. Pakistan's misruling elite has
traditionally used the ethnic majority cover for its perpetuation in power
and oppression of ethnic minorities has blocked the functioning of the
federal system. Its vocal opposition to Afghanistan's Northern Alliance
that represents the ethnic minorities of Afghanistan has much to do with
the continuation of Taliban misrule and failure of efforts, involving the
UN, to establish a broadbased set-up in Afghanistan. However, now, after
repeated spurnings of suggestions made to the Taliban regime, Pakistan
seems agreeable to US-supported efforts by ex-King Zahir Shah while, at
the same time, making its own proposals for a convention of leaders from
different Afghan factions. There is little leverage left for our
establishment to promote Taliban 'moderates' to appease the native clergy. A break from its unenviable past,
particularly since the Zia dictatorship, will be more in order. The armed
forces in general and the Pakistan army and its paramilitary forces in
particular need drastic reforms to restore them as forces of the Pakistani
nation. Restoration of the Quaid's motto of Unity, Faith and Discipline
needs to guide the armed forces instead of iman, taqwa and jihad fi sabeel
illah imposed by the hypocrite Zia. And while urging the US to seriously
consider the root cause of terrorism, the military-dominated establishment
would be better advised to also admit the root cause of the crisis that
Pakistan has been faced with. E-mail queries and comments to: naqi@nation.com.pk |