Very good article in dawn about the dangers posed by mullahs to Pakistan. The writer is a bit too enamoured with BB and overlooks her faults and corruption but still a good read.
http://www.dawn.com/2007/08/02/ed.htm
Benazir and the enemy within
By S.A. Qureshi
THERE is much speculation regarding the PPP’s flirtation with the military ruler(s) of Pakistan. In an ideal situation, the people of Pakistan would emerge from their homes out on to the roads, determined to restore democracy.
Led by a combined opposition, they would surround the garrisons, the presidency and the provincial seats of governmental power in a peaceful manner.
They would wave Pakistani flags and party flags together while the media filmed them. Irrespective of the military’s might, they would stay put and force the military ruler to abdicate.
The combined opposition would then, under the charter of democracy, nominate an interim government, which after fair elections would hand over power to the winning party. Everybody would live happily ever after. Imran Khan warms the hearts of every right-thinking citizen watching Geo TV when he paints this picture.
Unfortunately, attractive as it is, this picture is a mirage. It strikes me that the last time we found Imran Khan guiding us on a major issue was when he welcomed Gen Musharraf following the 1999 coup and the packing up of democracy as it stood then. Today, he pleads an error of judgment on that count.
The truth is that today when Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan and a number of moderates get cosy with the MMA on the basis of what they believe is a principled stand, they are committing an even greater error of judgment.
They must realise that the real power of the MMA does not come from the Maulana Fazlur Rahmans and the Qazi Hussains of this world. These leaders are just acceptable faces for the extremists in the ranks of the Islamist parties. Unfortunately, as the Aziz-Ghazi brothers in Lal Masjid found out, if the religious right ever comes to power, those like Qazi Hussain and Fazlur Rahman will find themselves irrelevant and hostage to extremist practitioners of the ideology they preach.
For people like Imran Khan, the outlook will be even worse. He would, good man that he is, stand up and be counted when the Islamic extremists walk the streets of this country to close down the free media and get rid of fundamental freedoms. It would not be surprising if he then found himself in court accused of past acts of immorality and facing a harsh punishment.
The only way Pakistan is likely to fall to an MMA government would be if the MMA hid itself inside an opposition alliance featuring figures like Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif. This could happen either through the electoral process or in the form of a PNA-like movement.
Irrespective of how this happens, people like Imran and Nawaz Sharif will end up very much like the Mensheviks did at the time of the Russian revolution in 1917. The Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks were the two factions of the Social Democratic Labour Party in Europe which aimed to bring the socialist revolution to the world.
Amongst other doctrinal differences, the Mensheviks were more given to working within the system or, let us say, were ideologically less extreme compared to the Bolsheviks led by Lenin. Victor Serge wrote about the Mensheviks in his autobiography, ‘Memoirs of a Revolutionary’ (1945) and I quote:
“The Mensheviks seemed to me to be admirably intelligent, honest and devoted to Socialism, but completely overtaken by events. They stood for a sound principle, that of working-class democracy, but in a situation fraught with such mortal danger that the stage of siege did not permit any functioning of democratic institutions.”
It is not surprising that the description appears to fit Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan and other principled politicians today. Unfortunately, simplicity has never been held up as a legitimate mitigating factor for leaders in the court of history. The real enemy within must be recognised and confronted.
There is now no denying the fact that there is an extremist Islamic ideology godfathered (inadvertently perhaps) by Pakistan’s military which is spreading across Pakistan. In essence, this ideology propounds the view that:
(a) Muslims are no longer pre-eminent and stand divided because they do not adhere to the true teachings of Islam;
(b) any Muslim society can only be successful if it reverts to such teachings as set out in the Quran and Sunnah; and
(c) the use of any amount of force to reach this goal is permitted and such force is described with the emotional word “jihad” or holy war.
The simplicity of this message is attractive to most Muslims who have grown up on a diet of past glories and future destiny. But it is untrue. The practical application of this ideology, as we know from the experience of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and our current NWFP government, has little to offer other than social regulation of sexual mores by the state (directed primarily at women) and brutal, ruthless punishments for minorities (both Muslim and non-Muslim).
Despite being flawed and not being able to stand up to scrutiny, such extremist ideology, much like Nazi terror, is potent, attractive and winning adherents because it is being pitched to people living in a thieving state which neither promises an alternative nor provides security.
This ideology is no different from what all the mainstream Sunni parties in the country have advocated and preached through their network of proselytising groups and madressahs which received (and continue to get) generous state sponsorship by the military under a Zia-formulated policy.
As a result, we have a number of people who are already sensitised to this ideology or who are taken in by the romance of the divinity attached to it. In short, they are unable to question the ideology in any rational manner despite it being obvious that such an ideology will not take us to our destiny.
As a matter of fact, if it ever becomes prevalent all it will do is destroy another three or four (if not more) of our future generations and result in prolonged sectarian civil war in the country. The world will take out our strategic assets and move on. We will be left joining a host of failed states like Iraq or Somalia struggling with continuing strife.
Benazir Bhutto, like her father, reads political situations well. She understands that at this time it is the evil within that threatens the country more than ever before. She is also smart enough to understand that while the PPP is a popular party it does not have an armed wing that can fight this evil on the streets. She needs the military if she has to confront the terror sweeping across the fair face of Pakistan. She must, however, be painfully aware that when dealing with the MQM, the generals double crossed her. They used her to get the advantage and then once the MQM Frankenstein was chained they ejected her.
The only reason the generals are prepared to listen to her again today is that, much as they loathe both her and the people she represents, they are looking at a monster ideology which they realise is threatening Pakistan’s current stakeholders (of which they are, unfortunately, the largest group).
The question for the generals is: who do they fear more — a democracy with someone like Benazir Bhutto heading it, or an extremist Islamic ideology which, if it takes over, will destroy both them and Pakistan? It appears to be a no-brainer for them to opt for Benazir. They will do so on the presumption that once she has delivered they can get rid of her.
For Benazir Bhutto, the available options are less palatable. She realises that if she joins the MMA to defeat the military on the streets, the vacuum will result in the extremists using their armed muscle to appropriate Pakistan. On the other hand, if she returns to power as an elected leader after providing the military with an exit strategy, she will have to combat the terror being currently unleashed on the people of Pakistan in the name of a misguided Islamic ideology.
Much like in the case of the MQM operations she will end up facing a hostile media and an intrusive judiciary in the battle against the potential martyrs who will regularly be unleashed by the Al Qaeda. Her social programme will be overshadowed and her ability to deliver on it will be constantly undermined. She and democracy will constantly be at risk from the generals who will try to get rid of her at the first sniff of victory.
However, as the single most popular Pakistani leader she has to make a choice or quit. It appears she has chosen courageously and correctly. If this means the first step is to engage the military and ditch the myth of a combined opposition including the MMA, then so be it.
As long as she clearly discloses her hand (which she has done) and goes to the people of Pakistan in a free and fair election for their approval (which she ostensibly intends to do), there is no question of violating any principles. The innuendo of deals and jibes of compromise are uncalled for.
The battle lines in Pakistan are clearly drawn. Irrespective of what one might wish it is going to be a bloody battle, and not one for the faint-hearted. Zia’s legacy has taken Pakistan to the brink — if Benazir is able to pull Pakistan back she will have avenged her father’s death and chosen her place in history correctly.
It is now time that Nawaz Sharif, Imran and all other moderates in the country are not led astray by the temptation to confront the wrong enemy. They must put their weight behind her. This is a battle the people of Pakistan simply must not lose.