Young professionals launch liberal website on Pakistan
By Khalid Hasan
WASHINGTON: A group of young Pakistani professionals in America have launched a new liberal website called New Pakistan.
Syed Husainy, a Pakistani-American businessman, who has helped mount the initiative, said New Pakistan would be political but non-partisan. It will support the restoration of constitutional democracy in Pakistan and “all the oppressed peoples of Pakistan, notwithstanding occasional disagreements with our democratic political leaders and parties”.
He said a political struggle, by definition, cannot be perfect. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah embraced many flawed figures to lead South Asia’s Muslims in the creation of Pakistan. Good ends such as stability and economic development should not become the justification for bad means like military intervention in politics. “With that philosophy of political realism, New Pakistan starts its journey of advocating a Pakistan that is peaceful, prosperous, and democratic, reflecting the aspirations and interests of its people rather than the ambitions of an oligarchy wedded to a vague ideology.
The inaugural editorial entitled ‘Need for a New Beginning’, said Pakistan was not meant to be a military dictatorship or, for that matter, the breeding ground for religious extremism. It has become both. In 59 years, Pakistan has undergone a second partition in the form of the separation of Bangladesh and has been plagued with ethnic or sectarian disharmony.
For more than half the period of Pakistan’s existence, the country has had either no constitution or a suspension of the constitutional order. Transfers of power have almost always been the result of military or palace coups. Pakistan is a nuclear weapons power but is unable to provide clean drinking water to a majority of its citizens. The wealth of a few has increased but so has the misery of the many.
The editorial said, “Educated Pakistanis sometimes get tired of what they see as constant criticism of Pakistan in the international media. Some respond by blaming Pakistan’s enemies for painting a stark picture of the Pakistani situation. Others try to point towards the softer side of Pakistan, arguing that Pakistan’s reality includes the hard work of its people and the creativity of its citizens. But the success or failure of a nation or state, both of which are political concepts, cannot be measured by recounting the poems of poets, the songs of musicians, the mystical dances of Sufis and the scores of sportsmen. In the final analysis, the value of a political ideal can only be assessed by political criteria.”
Pakistan, the editorial added, is a complex reality, but its political evolution — or lack of it — is the real reason Pakistan is seen by the world as “the sick man of South Asia”. Instead of war and conflict with neighbours, Pakistan’s energies need to be focused on building a just and inclusive political order. Instead of militarism and militancy, Pakistan needs to embrace moderation, tolerance and democracy. Instead of rejecting the country’s internal and external critics as “negative people” or “enemies of Pakistan,” their concerns need to be addressed.
I haven’t looked into too much detail in this website, however from the headlines I seems it’s another one of those probably Hindustan-backed anti-Pakistan and anti-Musharraf website but i’ll take your opinions.
