Pakistan-The Way Forward

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    THE WAY

    FORWARD

    N.HASAN

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    Introduction

    Why was Pakistan

    Created? Let the liberals,

    secularists, and pseudo-

    intellectuals revisit thehistory they question and

    want us to forget! The

    following extracts fromthe speeches of the two

    great founding fathers

    leave no room for

    ambiguity or distortion.

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    BETRAYALThe tolerance and goodwill that great Emperor Akbarshowed to all the non-Muslims is not of recent origin. 1t

    dates back thirteen centuries ago when our Prophet not only

    by words but by deeds treated the Jews and Christians, after

    he had conquered them, with the utmost tolerance andregard and respect for their faith and beliefs. The whole

    history of Muslims, wherever they ruled, is replete withthose humane and great principles which should be

    followed and practised.

    Speech on the Inauguration of the Pakistan ConstituentAssembly on 14th August 1947

    All I require of you now is that everyone of us to whom

    this message reaches must vow to himself and be prepared

    to sacrifice his all, if necessary, In building up Pakistan as abulwark of Islam and as one of the greatest nations whoseideal is peace within and peace without. Your immediate

    task Is the rehabilitation of millions of our distressed and

    unfortunate brethren who are either already with us or who

    have still to join us in Pakistan, bereft of all they possessedor had in this world. The least we now can do for them is to

    receive them as our own brethren. No decent or sane personshould consider that they are unwelcome burden thrust on

    us. Save all you can and give towards the relief of thesevictims of bestiality and vandalism who have suffered all

    this for the sole reason that they are muslims.

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    Along with this, keep up your morale. Do not be afraid of

    death. Our religion teaches us to be always prepared for

    death. We should face it bravely to save the honour of

    Pakistan and Islam. There is no better salvation for aMuslim than the death of a martyr for a righteous cause.

    I would also impress upon every member of this State,particularly our youth, to show the right spirit of devotion,

    courage and fortitude to give a lead to the others and to set

    a nobler and higher example for those who may follow us

    and the coming generations.

    Remember that the scrupulous maintenance andenforcement of law and order are the prerequisites of all

    progress. The tenets of Islam enjoin on every Mussalman togive protection to his neighbours and to the minorities

    regardless of caste and creed. Despite the treatment whichis being meted out to the Muslim minorities in India, we

    must make It a matter of our prestige and honour to

    safeguard the lives of the minority communities and to

    create a sense of security among them. I would like toimpress upon every Mussalman, who has at heart the

    welfare and the prosperity of Pakistan, to avoid retaliation

    and to exercise restraint, because retaliation and violationof law and order will ultimately result in weakening thevery foundations of the edifice you have cherished all these

    years to erect. Do your duty and have faith in God. There is

    no power on earth that can undo Pakistan. It has come to

    stay. Our deeds are proving to the world that we are in the

    right and I can assure you that the sympathies of the world,particularly of the Islamic countries, are with you. We inturn are grateful to every nation who has stretched out to us

    its hand of help and friendliness.

    Speech at a Mammoth Rally at the University Stadium,

    Lahore on 30th October, 1947

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    The Government and the people of Pakistan entertainnothing but feelings of warmest friendship towards theMuslim Kingdom of Afghanistan which is our closest

    neighbour and with whom for many centuries and for manygenerations the people of Pakistan have had countless

    religious, cultural and social ties. It is doubtless known to

    Your Excellency that the people of Pakistan have always

    admired the spirit of independence of the Afghan nationand its great strength of character.

    I desire that the relationship between these two sister

    Nations may be of the greatest and the most lastingfriendship,

    Reply to the Speech made by Sardar Najibullah Khan,

    Special Representative of H. M. King of Afghanistan in

    Pakistan at the time of presenting Credentials to the Quaid-

    i-Azam on 3rd December, 1944

    The great majority of us are Muslims. We follow theteachings of the Prophet Mohammad (may peace be onhim). We are members of the brotherhood of Islam in

    which all are equal in right, dignity and self-respect.

    Consequently, we have a special and a very deep sense of

    unity. But make no mistake: Pakistan is not a theocracy oranything like it. Islam demands from us the tolerance of

    other creeds and we welcome in closest association withties those who, of whatever creed, are themselves willing

    and ready to play their part as true and loyal citizens ofPakistan.

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    In this short talk, I hope that I have given you some

    impression of Pakistan, of our people, and what Pakistan

    means to all of us. It has been suggested to me that in

    conclusion I should send a greeting to the people ofAustralia. I do so gladly; and I can think of no bettergreeting than one which is traditional amongst us: "

    Assalam-o-Alalkum" which is, "may peace be on you".Pakistan Zindabad.

    Broadcast talk to the people of Australia recorded on 19th

    February, 1948.

    Nature's inexorable law is 'the survival of the fittest' and wehave to prove ourselves fit for our newly-won freedom,

    You have fought many a battle on the far-flung battle fieldsof the globe to rid the world of the Fascist menace and

    make it safe for democracy. Now you have to stand guard

    over the development and maintenance of Islamic

    democracy, Islamic social Justice and the equality ofmanhood in your own native soil. You will have to be alert,

    very alert, for the time for relaxation is not yet there. With

    faith, discipline and selfless devotion to duty, there isnothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve.

    Address to Officers and men of the 5th Heavy Ack Ack and

    6th Light Ack Ack Regiments In Malir on 21st February,

    1948

    The constitution of Pakistan has yet to be framed by thePakistan Cons-tituent Assembly. I do not know what the

    ultimate shape of this constitu- tion is going to be, but I am

    sure that it will be of a democratic type, embodying the

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    essential principles of Islam. Today, they are as applicable

    in actual life as they were 1,300 years ago. Islam and its

    idealism have taught us democracy. It has taught equality

    of man, justice and fairplay to everybody. We are theinheritors of these glorious traditions and are fully alive toour responsibilities and obligations as framers of the future

    constitution of Pakistan.

    Broadcast talk to the people of United States of America on

    Pakistan recorded in February 1948.

    About language, as I have already said, this Is in order to

    create dis-ruption amongst the Mussalmans. Your PrimeMinister has rightly pointed this out in a recent statement

    and I am glad that his Government have decided to putdown firmly any attempt to disturb the peace of this

    province by political saboteurs or their agents. Whether

    Bengali shall be the official language of this province is a

    matter for the elected representatives of the people of thisprovince to decide. I have no doubt that this question shall

    be decided solely in accordance with the wishes of the

    inhabitants of this province at the appropriate time.

    Let me tell you in the clearest language that there is no

    truth that your normal life is going to be touched or

    disturbed so far as your Bengali language is concerned. But

    ultimately it is for you, the people of this province, todecide what shall be the language of your province. But let

    me make it very clear to you that the State Language ofPakistan is going to be Urdu and no other language. Any

    one who tries to mislead you is really the enemy ofPakistan. Without one State Language, no Nation can

    remain tied up solidly together and function. Look at the

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    history of other countries. Therefore, so far as the State

    Language is concerned, Pakistan's language shall be Urdu.

    I tell you once again, do not fail into the trap of those who

    are the enemies of Pakistan. Unfortunately, you have fifth-columnists-and I am sorry to say they are Muslims-who arefinanced by outsiders. But they are making a great mistake.

    We are not going to tolerate sabotage any more.

    Speech at the public meeting attended by over three lakhs

    of people at Decca on March 21, 1948.

    Let me restate my views on the question of a Statelanguage for Pakistan. For official use in this province, the

    people of the province can choose any language they wish.This question will be decided solely in accordance with the

    wishes of the people of this province alone, as freelyexpressed through their accredited representatives at the

    appropriate time and after full and dispassionate

    consideration. There can, however, be only one lingua

    franca, that is, the language for inter-communicationbetween the various provinces of the State, and that

    language should be Urdu and cannot be any other. The

    State language, therefore, must obviously be Urdu, alanguage that has been nurtured by a hundred millionMuslims of this sub continent, a language understood

    throughout the length and breadth of Pakistan and above

    all, a language which, more than any other provincial

    language, embodies the best that is In Islamic culture andMuslim tradition and is nearest to the language used in

    other Islamic countries, it is not without significance thatUrdu has been driven out of the Indian Union and that even

    the official use of the Urdu script has been disallowed.

    There can be only one State language, if the component

    parts of this State are to march forward in unison, and that

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    language, in my opinion, can only be Urdu. I have spoken

    at some length on this subject so as to warn you of the kind

    of tactics adopted by the enemies of Pakistan and certain

    opportunist politicians to try to disrupt this State or todiscredit the Government.

    Speech at the Dacca University Convocation on the 24th

    March. 1948.

    The first thing that I want to tell you is this, that you should

    not be influenced by any political pressure, by any politicalparty or individual politician. If you want to raise the

    prestige and greatness of Pakistan, you must not fall avictim to any pressure, but do your duty as servants to the

    people and the State, fearlessly and honestly. Service is theback bone of the State. Governments are formed,

    Governments are defeated, Prime Ministers come and go,Ministers come and go, but you stay on, and, therefore,

    there is a very great responsibility placed on your

    shoulders. You should have no hand in supporting this

    political party or that political party, this political leader orthat political leader-this is not your business. Whichever

    Government is formed according to the cons- titution, and

    whoever happens to be the Prime Minister or Minister com-ing into power in the ordinary constitutional course, yourduty is not only to serve that Government loyally and

    faithfully, but, at the same time, fearlessly, maintaining

    your high reputation, your prestige, your honour and the

    integrity of your service. If you will start with thatdetermination, you will make a great contribution to the

    building up of the Pakistan of our conception and ourdream-a glorious State and one of the greatest nations in the

    world.

    In formal talk to Civil Officers at Government House,

    Peshawar, on 14th April, 1948

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    I want you to remember and if you have time enough you

    should study the Government of India Act, as adapted for

    use in Pakistan, which is our present Constitution, that theexecutive authority flows from the Head of the Governmentof Pakistan, who is the Governor-General and, therefore,

    any command or orders that may come to you cannot comewithout the sanction of the Executive Head. This is the

    legal position.

    Address to the Officers of the Staff College, Quetta,On 14th June, 1948

    Addressing the U.S. Senate Prime Minister Liaquat All

    Khan said:

    "We have pledged ourselves a Federation with autonomous

    units.

    We have pledged that the Muslims in our State shall be

    enabled to order their lives in accordance with their faith.

    We have pledged that the State shall exercise its powersand authority through the chosen representatives of the

    people. In this we have kept steadily before us the

    principles of democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance and

    social justice as enunciated by Islam.

    These are articles of faith with us and by them we areirrevocably bound. They are our way of life; and no threat

    or persuasion, no material peril or ideological allurementcan deflect us from the path we have chosen. In

    proclaiming the objectives of our constitution, we have

    called on Almighty God, to whom alone sovereignty over

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    the entire universe belongs, to bear witness to our resolve

    and to guide our footsteps."

    Prime Minister's address at a luncheon meeting of

    the National Press Club:

    "Our strongest interests, therefore, are:

    "Firstly, the integrity of Pakistan.

    Secondly, our culture. The majority of the eighty millionpeople of Pakistan are Muslims determined to hold their

    opinions, worship God in freedom and follow the Islamicway of life. The phrase "Islamic way of life" has on many

    occasions been misinterpreted by some people. It has beenmisconstrued variously as religious intolerance, theocratic

    rule, return to medievalism and so on. I wish to make it

    clear, therefore, that we have no theocratic State in mind.

    We have in mind no special privileges of citizenship for theMuslims in our country and we abhor the Idea of applying

    any religious or cultural coercion to our non-Muslim

    nationals. But we firmly believe that our religion has taughtus certain principles of social and economic justice, and ofhuman values, whose application in statecraft is bound to

    promote human welfare. Furthermore Islamic belief in the

    right of private ownership, with Islamic laws and

    institutions which tend to level down inequalities of wealth,is the best way of tackling economic disequilibrium not

    only in our own country but everywhere in the world.These are not new beliefs.

    The Muslims have held them for over thirteen hundred

    years. We are determined in our country to apply them

    afresh to the domain of human affairs.

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    Thirdly, our desire and our dire need for economic

    development. These are our fundamental interests. Given

    these, any student of international affairs can appreciate our

    foreign relations and their trends.

    Culturally, we feel a natural affiliation with other Muslim

    countries and our relations with them are of the friendliest.We are keenly interested in the progress and development

    of the Middle East countries and in the maintenance of their

    independence.

    I have only one last remark to make and I will preface it by

    requesting you to turn your minds once more to what I saidearlier about the Islamic way of life which we wish to

    pursue as an article of irrevocable faith In a world ofconflicting ideologies, is it not, therefore, a matter of

    supreme satisfaction that at least one nation amongst suchnations should not suffer from such confusion"

    Canadian Prime Minister L.S.St. Laurent welcomed

    Liaquat Ali Khan warmly and enthusiastically. He also

    paid generous and glowing tributes to Pakistan'sfounding fathers and said:

    "At present Canadians are wont to associate particularly

    the names of two men with Pakistan that of Mr Mohammed

    Ali Jinnah, who is regarded as the father of his country andwhose name has been immortalized by a grateful people's

    use of the title "the Great Leader" and your own, Mr.,Prime Minister. Mr. Jinnah, in creating a new nation, relied

    heavily upon you, Mr. Liaquat All Khan whom hedescribed as his "right- hand man."

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    The Prime Minister of Pakistan's reply to Mr. St.

    Laurent's speech:

    "The historic decision that Muslims of British India hadtaken, to work for a State of their own, was eminentlyjustified. We are determined that the Muslims in our State

    shall be enabled to order their lives in accordance with theirfaith.

    We are pledged to the principles of democracy, freedom,

    equality, tolerance and social justice as enunciated byIslam. This does not mean theocracy; for Islam does not

    believe either in priesthood or in the caste system. On thecontrary our conception of democracy is possibly even

    more comprehensive than that which is contained in theinstitutions of universal franchise and majority rule. For it

    embraces social and economic justice, the right of privateownership, of each individual to enjoy the fruit of his

    honest labour and yet with laws and institutions designed to

    eliminate destitution and to place healthy checks on vast

    accumulations of unearned wealth.

    All this we call the Islamic way of life and pursue it

    because as Muslim we could not follow any other ideologyor seek guidance from any other source but God, whoseinjunctions we believe these to be.

    We are resolved to safeguard our freedom at all posts,

    whatever the threat and whatever the quarter from which

    aggression may face us.

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    Liaquat Ali Khan then proceeded to deliver his

    "eulogy" to glorify the Quaid-e-Azam, father of the

    nation.

    "On this memorable occasion I am reminded of the father

    of our nation and the founder of our freedom, our Greatleader, our Quaid-e-Azam, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, of

    revered memory, without whose vision, determination and

    burning honesty Pakistan might have remained a vague

    longing and a distant dream, and the reality, of which myhumble presence in your august company today is but a

    symbol, might never have been born. A sincere patriot apassionate follower of the democratic idea, and a man who

    saw farther and more clearly than his fellows, he led theMuslims of British India out of their perplexities and

    frustrations into the open air of freedom, and gave shape,significance and direction to their quest for liberty. All his

    life he fought for freedom but since he fought for the

    substance and not for the shadow, for the thing and not for

    the word, he let no illusion or catch-phrases obscure hispenetrating insight or confound his grasp of the essentials.

    He struggled long and hard to forge the diverse peoples of

    his subcontinent into a mighty nation. But for most as hewas in the ranks of those who fought for independence, hewas also the first to perceive the inexorable logic of facts,

    and when the time came, to proclaim fearlessly that the

    people of British India, bound together though they were in

    their common subjection, where not one, but two nations,

    and that to relegate one hundred million Muslims to theposition of a perpetual political minority and to force theHindu nation and the Muslim nation into a single unwieldy

    state would be the negation of democracy and would createthe greatest single unstable area in the world. The great

    truth that he uttered was startling in its simplicity that for a

    long time even some of his close friends and companions

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    found it stimulating, but strange. But the hundred million

    suppressed Muslims knew instinctively that what he said

    merely gave coherence and dynamism to their own hesitant

    inarticulate feelings When on the 15 of August, 1947, ourflag was unfurled in Karachi, a nation of eighty millionpeople thanked God that the Quaid-i-Azam had lived to see

    his dream come true And when he left us to rest in God, towhose greater glory he had dedicated himself, we knew that

    he had bequeathed to us a great destiny to fulfil. Wherever

    the flag of Pakistan may fly, its capital shall always be that

    hallowed piece of earth where he lies buried"

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    Extract from Authors

    book Price of IgnoranceA correct evaluation of any political system requires the

    measurement of the amount of power concentrated in oneor more persons. Reflecting on this issue in a lighter vein,

    one is reminded of English poet Alexander Popes beautiful

    satirical verse:

    For forms of government let fools contest,

    Whatever is best administered is best.

    At the time of writing this article I was tempted to quotefew more verses from Popes relevant poem, but on

    account of the religious sensitivities I refrained from doingso. However, increasingly cognizant of the lengthening

    shadows of religious extremism, I would like the readers to

    seriously ponder upon his following selected verses to

    remind themselves of the ill consequences of not heeding tothe call for sanity and toleration in the past.

    For modes of faith let graceless zealots fight;His cant be wrong whose life is in the right.

    In faith and hope the world will disagree,

    But all mankinds concern is charity.

    As some to church repair,

    Not for the doctrine, but the music there.

    Then unbelieving priests reformed the nation,

    And taught more pleasant methods of salvation.

    Slave to no sect, who takes no private road,

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    But looks through nature up to natures God.

    Know then thyself, presume not God to scan;

    The proper study of mankind is man.

    Matthew Arnolds poem given at the beginning of this

    book also perhaps needs supplementing to fully imbibe thedepth of his pain and sorrow on the rapidly disappearing

    belief in Faith, lamenting the grievous loss thus:

    The Sea of Faith

    Was once, too, at the full, and round earths shore

    Lay like the folds of a bright gridle furld

    But now I only hear

    Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,

    Retreating, to the breath

    Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear

    And naked shingles of the world.

    The present day Muslims tend to believe that in the religio-cultural context they are passing through uniquely critical

    times, whereas the truth is that not long ago the Christian

    world too had undergone similar convulsions. The zealots

    in the past drove out the Faith from peoples lives and,instead, glorified the Form and Ritual, bereft of the true

    sprit of Faith. This paved the way for secularism to getentrenched, thus banishing out the Faith from the collective

    lives of the society and leaving it adrift, to be followedaccording to the whims of the individuals. Fortunately, for

    the Muslims, as well as the mankind at-large, there is

    some glimmer of hope if the revival and institutionalization

    of Ijtihad could be seriously attempted and achieved to

    weld together desperate peoples into a tolerant world-wide

    community, free from the ravages of all pervadingmaterialism. (N.H.)

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    Resurrecting BhuttoVain attempt to chase shadows

    The rank and file leadership of the Peoples Party jiyalas

    persist in their assertion that Bhutto was judiciallymurdered and that his case should be reopened by the

    Supreme Court to uphold and affirm their said belief andrefuse to accept that he was lawfully executed.

    Unfortunately, the people who were never loyal to theideology of Pakistan managed to rule the country for nearly

    sixty years and continue to distort its history. I had written

    during his lifetime, in some detail about his downfall andthe causes thereof. In this regard I reproduce below some of

    my printed observations. To this I will only add that it has

    been claimed by most of our politicians that Bhutto mighthave had his weaknesses but he was not Corrupt. The

    fact is that the wealth acquired unlawfully by corrupt

    means helps the perpetrator to gain power to control hisaffairs by fair and foul means. Striving to get and cling to

    power could, therefore, be considered the tool or means to

    achieve the intended goal. Bhuttos lust for power, which

    even led to the disintegration of Pakistan, could undeniably

    be regarded as a strong streak of his character. Moreover, inthe context of his feudal background, the following

    demeanours cannot be overlooked:

    1. To acquire the possession of his fathersproperty in India worth about rupees

    145,000 on the grounds that he held an

    Indian passport, implying thereby that he

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    was the national of that country though

    living in Pakistan. For further details on

    this 'Bhutto's treachery' visit the link

    given below:

    http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2411/stor

    ies/20070615004908200.htm

    2. To obtain absolute power, he exploited

    Punjabs desire for hegemony andwithout any qualm and conscience

    contrived with other disloyal elements inand outside the country to break Pakistan.

    3. In the crucial UN Security Councilmeeting he is shown in a TV clip to stormout, while tearing Polands reconciliatory

    resolution, loudly abusing the delegates

    representing the world community in Urdufor the benefit and applause of the people

    of Pakistan, whom he had befooled before

    and after getting into power. The words heverbally uttered and listened all over theworld should have opened the eyes and

    minds of everyone. The words spoken by

    this Great Leader were Sooar kay

    Bachchey (bastards),

    Haramzade

    (sons of bitch) and Ulloo

    ke pathey (stupid).

    Unbridled power, wrested by corruption and Machiavellian

    way of craft and deception, fascist practices like forming

    Federal Security Force (FSF), and violent means has

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    been the hallmark of Bhuttos dynasty. The two sons of

    Bhutto, who had earlier resorted to terrorism by high

    jacking PIA plane, met violent deaths. Benazir, brought up

    in his own image by Bhutto, preferred to commit suicide.Both, father and daughter clung to power and fame. Infathers case, window of opportunity available to keep alive

    was closed by refusing to avail of the opportunity providedby law for grant of mercy appeal, in the vain hope that his

    friends and supporters aboard will succeed to bear pressure

    on Zia enough to pardon him. In daughters case even after

    strong evidence of imminent hazards and warnings of threatto her life, she preferred self-immolation by sticking her

    head out of the cars sunroof.

    While briefly reflecting on Zia-ul-Haqs rule during

    his presidency, I will fail in my duty if I ignore to

    mention that he took over power after PakistanNational Alliance (PNA) movement had mountedsignificant demand for establishment of Nizam-e-

    Mustafa. Zia-ul-Haq was justified in believing that he

    had over whelming mandate from the people to

    establish an Islamic Order in the country. The

    sentiments and ideals which had found acceptancewith the Muslims in India before partition, started to

    re-surface. This observation was also fully endorsed by

    late Allama Muhammad Asad , who confirmed that

    after returning from a long-overdue visit to Pakistan

    my views about the then present situation there as well

    as the personality of President Zia-ul-Haq coincidedwith his (the author). However, again the forces

    which were aligned with Bhutto in promoting

    secularism demonize him to this day. Fortunately, it

    appears we have recently been blessed with a new

    shepherd in the shape of Professor Thair-ul-Qadri who

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    promises to be the emerging leader to gather the

    dispersed flock and drive it in the direction which was

    originally perceived by the founders of Pakistan. The

    entire nation is now looking towards him and prayingthat their dream will come true.

    The writer has vivid memories of two famous publicmeetings presided over by Quaid-e-Azam in 1943 and

    1946, listened to by thousands of people in completesilence even though they did not understand English. That

    spirit has remained dormant until a flicker of hope emerged

    on Zia-ul-Haqs attempt to Islamise Pakistan though

    opposed and frustrated by the socialist and so called miss-

    guided molvies promoting their outmoded sectarian

    beliefs. It is now third time that the dim flame of hopeappears to have rekindled.

    However, I have grave misgivings that the people who had

    all along negated the ideology of Pakistan might once again

    resort to their nefarious means to frustrate the latest attempt

    to uphold Islamic Order in Pakistan. Let us hope and pray

    Allah helps us all.

    N Hasan

    Islam: Medicine for

    Hapless Pakistan

    Mr. S.M. Ali, in his article The dangers that lurks

    as Pakistan goes Islams (February 2, 1979), seems to

    have failed in contributing anything original or

    positive. He has merely echoed the thoughts and

    apprehensions of the present day Pakistani pseudo-

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    intellectuals. The unfortunate fact is, there are hardly

    any intellectuals, or liberals left in Pakistan. Liberalism

    tends to degen-erate into licentiousness, if not duly

    tempered with tolerance. This is precisely whatliberals in Pakistan want when they clamour for

    arrogating to themselves all rights and privileges to act

    and behave in any manner they deem fit, without any

    regard to universally accepted social and legal

    restraints. Self-interest first, is their motto.

    It is a sad commentary on the affairs of the ideological

    state of Pakistan that, ever since its inception in 1947,

    there have practically been no intellectuals in the

    country. The reasons are obvious. Just before inde-

    pendence, most of the British-trained bureaucrats and

    politicians jumped into the Muslim League band-wagon to secure for them-selves comfortable niches to

    manoeuvre from in the new State. They hardly subs-

    cribed to the ideology, but never hesitated to arouse

    the passions of the Muslim masses who truly believed

    in Islamic renaissance. After independence, the gover-

    nment which came to power in succession tended toput curbs on the freedom of thought and speech.

    When-ever they found it expedient, they never missed

    any opportunity to ensnare the so called intellectuals

    by purs-uation, bribe or coercion.

    In a country where literacy rate is below 20 percent,many able scientists, doctors, teachers, who could

    rightly be credited with a clear conscience, were either

    obliged to seek opportunities in Britain, US, Canada or

    Middle East countries, or forced to go into a self-

    imposed silence.

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    Consequently, corrupt governments could breed only

    corrupt intellectuals, left free to abandon their

    primary concern for mind and spirit in their pursuit ofsome material benefit. To be regarded as intellectual, it

    became fashionable to champion the socialist cause.

    Though proclaimed as intellectuals, their epic-urean

    yearnings were whipped-up equally by the successive

    local governments as well as by a giant neighboring

    socialist country. In particular, under ex-PrimeMinister Bhuttos tyrannical rule, no one dared to

    speak truth. It is, there-fore, a traversity of facts to

    claim that there are liberals or intellectuals in Pakistan

    wielding least influence over any segment of the

    society.

    The self-styled intellect-uals in Pakistan have already

    let down their own people. They will, after they have

    performed their act, be cast away by their mentor and

    great friends across the border. Greater irony awaits

    others, to catch them unawares. These chameleons

    show all signs of befriending the influential people inthe West, especially those connected with the mass-

    media, but surreptitiously remain engaged in causing

    irreparable damage to the countrys relations with

    America. It is sincerely hoped that by now this great

    leader of the West must have learnt a lesson from the

    Iranian debacle and, in future, the sentiments andaspirations fervently shared by the masses will not be

    ignored.

    The events which have taken place in Iran during

    recent months, culminating in virtual abdication of the

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    Shah, bear close resemblance to the events preceding

    the overthrow of Bhutto in Pakistan. World press did

    not take proper notice of those events, per-haps

    because the balance of power was not so muchdisturbed as now in the case of Iran. However, the fact

    is, people of Pakistan rose magnificently to voice their

    true sentiments, for the first time during the 30-year

    life of the nation. It was a popular movement to

    demand enforcement of the Islamic order in Pakistan,

    which swept away Bhutto and all his forces (includingthe internal wing of I.S.I, the equivalent of Iranian

    Savak). As such it surprises me to find Mr. S.M. Ali

    aghast and trying to regard President Zias staunch

    commitment to the Islami-sation of Pakistan as

    unfortunate. Equally surprising is his ignorance of

    the basic stipulates behind the demand for an Islamicorder in Pakistan. According to Muslim belief, Islam is

    an all embracing code of life, consequently, there is

    nothing incongruous in the statement of Mufti

    Mahmud (the PNA Chief), that special benches

    would also scrutinize the existing fiscal laws, while a

    new economic policy, to be announced in May, wouldprepare the stage for an interest-free banking system

    and Islamic taxation law.

    Whereas the issue of interest-free banking would

    necessarily require a lengthy discussion to remove the

    misgivings generally expressed by the economists, fewwords at this stage about the Islamic taxes may help to

    clear the minds of your readers. It has been argued that

    under Islamic system the government will not be

    allowed to impose taxes other than Zakat and the

    meager collection (at 2 percent) will not be enough

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    to sustain its overall spen-ding. Nothing could be

    farther from truth. Zakat is basically applied to the

    funds and assets which remain lying idle. Moreover,

    recoveries under this tax can be used only for thepurposes of social welfare, ie, to meet the financial

    needs of the poor, invalids etc. Many European

    countries, formost amongst them being Britain, have

    enforced necessary laws making every wage-earner

    liable to pay a certain amount towards the national

    social security schemes. Therefore, there is nothingnew about this kind of tax. What modern states have

    been able to realize so late in the twentieth century,

    after so much trials and tabulations, Islam prescribed it

    nearly :1300 years ago!

    (HongKong Standard 14 Feb, 1979)

    Bhuttos place in history

    Salamat Alis account of former Pakistan premier

    Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakis-tans day of judgment

    [Review, Feb 16] appears objective. Few peopleoutside Pakistan realize that Bhutto was born and

    trained in feudalistic traditions. He acted like a despot

    while in power, and set himself on a fascist course. It

    is a travesty of fact to say that he paved the way for

    democratic rule.

    In fact, it was General Yahya Khan who promised

    and staged the first general election in the country in

    1970, allowing the entire nation to conduct a

    prolonged political debate for nearly a year before the

    elections. In his otherwise despicable rule, Yahyas

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    only positive contribution was to provide the long-

    denied opportunity to create political awakening and a

    great awareness among the people and he alone

    deserves the credit for that.

    Bhutto frustrated every sincere effort to transfer

    power to the elected majority party in those elections,

    headed by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He virtually

    wrecked parliament when he publicly threatened to

    break the legs of elected members from West Pakistanif they attended its first session. Again, he was the only

    leader to endorse publicly the military action in East

    Pakistan (Bangladesh). Thank God, Pakistan has been

    saved were the actual words he used in a statement

    about the military action. In order to claim the sole

    right to represent West Pakistan, he treated otherleaders, many of them credited with integrity and

    sound judgment, with utter contempt though his party

    has polled only 39% of the votes against 61% shared

    by other parties joined in a united front.

    However, Bhuttos appe-tite for power was such thathe sabotaged the outcome of elections by taking overthe government from a military ruler by connivance.Once at the top, he entrenched himself by leavingBritish imperialists far behind in their policy of divideand rule. He deliberately created an environment ofconf-rontation, so that one province was set against

    another, one sect against another, Shias against Sunnis,peasant against landlord, worker against industrialist,student against teacher and even a son against hisfather.

    Bhutto will be executed, if his mercy appeal is

    rejected, for a crime duty reported at a police station

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    while he was still in power and all efforts to delete his

    name as one of the accused persons had failed. Scores

    of other political assassination cases during his rule

    have remained untraced and unsolved because notenough evidence was available.

    Pakistanis, are wondering whether the world leaders

    now advocating clemency are really in their right

    senses. They are also amazed over their profe-ssions of

    love for democracy and human rights, forgetting

    Bhuttos attempt to strangle democracy by riggingelect-ions and letting loose a reign of terror in which

    nearly 100,000 people (including thousands of women

    and children) were detained and imprisoned in

    hurriedly raised jails during a four- month show of

    brute force.

    Bhutto vacillated between Right and Left not

    because he sincerely wanted to strike a balance in the

    countrys interest. He used both platforms according to

    his own specific needs. He exploited Islam to gain

    popularity with the people, raised the Jerusalem issue

    to swindle the Arabs and convened an Islamic summitconference to maneuver recognition of Bangladesh

    which people had opposed.

    If Bhuttos contribution is really all that non-

    Pakistanis, want us to believe, how can it be explained

    that Pakistan has not gone through any convulsion orclamour worth mentioning, despite the recent court

    judgment, and that the victims only hope for survival

    now rests upon the effectiveness of foreign leaders

    persuasion and appeals for mercy? The implications

    are obvious and need hardly be explained. Bhutto will

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    never be regarded as a martyr, though no history book

    will ignore him either.

    (Far eastern Economic Review, HongKong, 23 Feb 1979)

    Pakistans Dilemma

    Your correspondent Salamat Ali seems to share theview that Zulfikar Ali Bhuttos execution may spark

    off large-scale demonstrations and regional reaction

    detrimental to Pakistans solidarity [Buying more time

    for Bhutto, Review, Mar.2]. His contention lacks

    credibility because the credentials of Fazle Ilahi

    Chaudhry whom he has quoted extensively, are highlydoubtful. Before being elevated to the office of

    president, Chaudhry seemed to be an instrument of

    Bhutto in the role of National Assembly speaker. He

    displayed few qualms of conscience when giving his

    rulings to throttle the oppositions voice. He shares

    equally with Bhutto the responsibility for mauling andmurdering democracy in Pakistan.

    Aspersions have also been cast by suggesting that

    the Supreme Court was perhaps not impartial, and

    judges hailing from the majority province alone

    rejected Bhuttos appeal. This is indeed ironical,because this very province had all along lent its

    support to him, presumably to show gratitude for

    saving it from Bengali domination, which it feared had

    power actually been transferred to Sheikh Mujibur

    Rahman.

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    Bhutto himself sowed the seeds of division, and any

    separatist movement started after his execution, as

    forecast by the prophets of doom, will be directconsequence of his policies. He alienated the North

    West Frontier Province and Bluchistan by detaining

    their key leaders in jail during most of his rule and

    ruthlessly mounting a military action against his own

    countrymen in Baluchistan, which lasted until his

    ousting.

    If Pakistan witnesses widespread disturbance

    following Bhuttos execution (if the court rejects the

    review application and the sentence is duly carried

    out), it will not be for any love for Bhutto but for the

    simple reason that a handful of communist terroristssupported by a neighboring country nursing a

    centuries old dream to reach the warm waters of the

    Indian Ocean will try to exploit the situation for their

    own benefit.

    This is a likely outcome which Bhuttos friends inthe West should be prepared to reckon with. The

    dilemma facing them is that the communists and the

    Islamic revival movement equally arouse their

    apprehensions. They appear to be divided in their

    evaluation as to which of the two evils is the lesser

    one. Much will, therefore, depend on what attitudethey ultimately adopt, because a country like Pakistan

    despite its efforts to steer clear of troubled waters

    must necessarily expect foreign interference in its

    internal affairs.

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    (Far Eastern Economic Review, Hongkong, 16 March

    1979)

    The Bhutto Syndrome

    Apparently carried away by his hatred for Pakistani

    President Zia-ul-Haq, Mohammad Iqbal Khan hasmade several incorrect statements [Letters, Review,

    June 13]. To my knowledge the British Indian Army

    was never used to quell political agitation or to

    massacre the people of India, Muslims or otherwise,

    during their struggle for independence.

    Iskander Mirza was a political agent and later, asdefense secretary in the central government, hebecame a strong pillar of the countrys bureaucracy.Mirza later seized power by conspiracy. Ayub Khanmerely paid him back in his own coin to usher in adecade which some still believe was Pakistansbrightest period yet. However, history will nevercondone his action, which got the army involved inpolitics.

    As regards the 1965 conflict with India, it was the

    late Pakistani prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who

    believed in confronta-tion and, as foreign minister,

    assured Ayub Khan athat India would not cross theborder if Pakistan engaged it in a local conflict within

    disputed Kashmir. Bhutto meddled in purely military

    matters and once had to be practically thrown out of

    the army operations room during the war by the chief

    of staff.

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    Who brought about the 1971 debacle? Bhutto was

    the only politician who stayed away from the round

    table conference called by Ayub Khan to seek political

    reconciliation. Sensing eclipse by other seasoned andpopular politicians, Bhutto sought and befrie-nded

    army generals and conspired with the bureaucracy to

    oust Ayub Khan and to install Yahya Khan in his

    place.

    Most views expressed about the situation in Pakistan

    tend to bypass the crux of the problem. Provincialismand bureaucracy are the twin evils causing Pakistans

    present ills. No Pakistani is prepared openly to admit

    this for fear of victimization. Being the most populated

    province, the Punjab has always dominated the

    bureaucratic order and the countrys army. Smaller

    provinces consider that their own rights are beingtrampled on by the dominant Punjab.

    The solution to Pakistans many domestic problems

    lies in cutting the bureaucracy down to size and

    dividing the present Punjab province into three of four

    geogra-phically and ethnically smaller units and, at the

    same time, readjusting other provincial boundaries.The Punjab of British India days has already lost its

    unity through division at partition in 1947. India has

    divided its smaller section of the Punjab into Haryana

    and Punjab. Pakistan should do the same if such a

    move would ensure its own integrity and stability.

    (Far Eastern Economic Review, HongKong, 25 July1980)

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    (An extract from the Authors open letter

    MEMOGATE posted on 14 December

    2011 on his website. Further comments

    were added thereto in his ANOTHER

    OPEN LETTER dated 17 December 2011

    which follows).

    Last but not the least is the role played by the corrupt

    Journalists (dealt with in some details in my book,

    Democracy: A Mirage) in league with the politicians, both

    operating under the aegis of their foreign masters. The socalled elite civil society of the country too has failed in

    clearly defining and upholding the interest and well beingof Pakistan. Finally, the judiciary headed by the Chief

    Justice of Pakistan who had let the entire legal community

    to become politicized. For example, the selective pick and

    choose method adopted in hearing and deciding somecases hurriedly, as in the case of Swiss Account or NRO,

    and indefinite postponement of hearing cases such as those

    of Air Marshal Asghar Khan and Mian Nawaz Sharif,makes one wonder about the impartiality of the Court. The12

    thMay 2007 incident in Karachi resulting in the death of

    52 innocent persons should have awakened his conscience

    to make him realize that the said 52 persons were sacrificed

    at the alter of his ego, since he played into the hands of

    self-seeking coterie of politicians and lawyers who wantedto enter the city like victorious centurions entering Rome.In the present chaotic and highly explosive conditions it is

    of utmost importance that all those influential people whowield power take up the right path to avoid the disaster

    which seems to be awaiting around the corner. To begin

    with, the present system of electing members to the Federal

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    and Provincial Assemblies should be changed to introduce

    the proportional representation, in which the election

    expenses are borne by the party and not by the individual

    candidates. In such event, the partys manifesto will belooked at and voted for by the voters and not the influenceand pedigree of the candidates themselves. Secondly, the

    Election Commission should immediately be alerted so asnot to be intimated or influenced by any person or quarter.

    The clauses 62 and 63 of the constitution should be

    implemented vigorously, whereby the unscrupulous

    candidates such as Imran Khan and his ilk with well knownand thoroughly documented record of conduct like his

    could be debarred forever. May Allah help us all!

    ANOTHER OPEN LETTER

    I tend to believe that a lot more needs to be said further to

    the contents of my first open letter regarding

    MEMOGATE dated 14th

    December 2011. For example,certain quarters have been vehement in creating hype to

    portray a picture of the Judiciary much larger than its size

    and present status. All existing national institutions,including the Armed Forces defending the country, areseverely criticized either for incompetence or corruption

    implying thereby that the Judiciary is the last hope to

    safeguard the interests and well-being of the country.

    Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, it too is

    not free from pressures and strains being exerted from alienforces within and outside the country. In view of havingachieved the stated aim of restoration of the Judiciary in the

    wake of large scale processions and long marches inconcert with those forces, the Judges ought to have

    voluntarily given up their seats bearing in mind collective

    wishes of the people as expressed in the Charter of

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    Democracy signed by 38 political party heads in their

    London meeting, when they specifically demanded that the

    Judges who had taken oath under PCO will not be

    acceptable. The said meeting will also be remembered foryet another precedence it had then created. It declareditself as representing democratic values, but recommended

    that no party in the country should talk to or associate withMQM. No member of the civil society, Lawyers or Judges

    (i.e. by taking suo moto notice) did anything to confront

    and rectify such anti-democratic declaration.

    In a recent television interview Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan

    publicly stated that Mian Nawaz Sharif was reluctant tocarry out nuclear explosion and was goaded by others

    including himself to do so. Let us also not forget that itwas during his regime that posters or newspaper articles

    were published by denigrating Pakistans defendants bycalling them collectively as Rouge Army. It was also

    during Benezir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz sharifs

    premiership that brutal force was applied to crush MQM in

    Karachi. No one including Judiciary intervened to takenotice to find out the truth. Therefore, not surprising if

    MQM seeks alliance with any governing party to save lives

    and properties of its members. This writer is himself amuhajir and proud to be as such because it constantlyreminds him of his affiliation with Islam, the real raison

    detre for creating Pakistan. The truth is that their

    policies, secular in thought and in action, does not pemit

    persons like myself to agree with their policies in all

    respects. This does not, however, require their forcefulisolation or exclusion from so called democratic process,nor should they be criticized for demanding repatriation of

    Pakistanis living in abject conditions in Bangladesh forkeeping their faith in Pakistan. Especially so, if hundreds

    of thousands Pakhtoons, Afghanis and others could be

    freely admitted to settle down in Karachi. I have no

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    problem living along with Afghanis because they emigrated

    from their war-torn country to take refuge in Pakistan and

    we both share the same ethos as Muhajir.

    The disunity amongst people and disintegration of Pakistanis the primary objective of the Indo-Israeli axis, nurtured by

    Zionists, and our own so called leaders having readilyfallen in their trap, mostly because in their pursuit of

    worldly gains they have forgotten that the allegiance to

    Pakistan without first reiterating their commitment to the

    spirit of Islam will be doomed to failure in the presentgloom and doom scenario. The only institution which

    infuses hope is our defence forces, whose morale is beingseverely tested and mauled by the said axis. In this respect

    my attached article on the role of our Armed Forces isworth inviting your attention and serious consideration.

    Recalling here the great trauma which the entire nation had

    undergone four decades ago when we lost East Pakistan

    due to mechanizations of the West Pakistani politicians

    who, subsequently took shield behind Yahya Khansweaknesses and falsely trumpeted failures of the armed

    forces to save their own skins and gain power. The writer is

    also reminded of the role then played by Innocentintermediaries, such as Haroon family, the usurpers ofQuaid-e-Azams gift to the people of Pakistan. They now

    sit comfortably in America hobnobbing with important

    persons close to that countrys Administration.

    It may perhaps help the readers to obtain a broaderperspective and better understanding of the hectic politicalactivities during those times specifically spot-lighted here,

    if they could find time for reading the writers books,Reconstruction of Pakistan (Pakistan-ki-Tameer-e-nau)

    and In search of a Saviour (Quom-ka-Maseeha-konn).

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    Reform of Electoral rules and the mode of governance

    ATHREE STEP SOLUTION

    Gist of the letter sent to the Chief Election Commissioner

    Justice Fakhruddin G Ibrahim

    Your Honour

    Asaslam alikum

    The implementation of the proposal will require certain prior action

    which, in my view, could briefly be as under:

    1. An appropriate Act may be passed by the present Parliamentand thereafter dissolved (by signing on its own death warrant!)

    2. An interim government be installed by the chief Justice jointly

    with the Election Commissioner, comprising of non-politicalpersons of civil society, retired judges, retired un-blemished

    generals and competent bureaucrats. This government

    sufficiently buffed-up and enlarged, if necessary, could also

    act as our constitution making body to give shape to thesuggested governmental, electoral and territorial proposal and

    then draft afresh a new concise and reformed constitution and

    thereafter, completing the whole exercise until newly Elected

    Parliament under the new Constitution and a fresh mandate isinstalled in a period no more than 18months. Special attention

    should be directed while preparing the new constitution on

    two specific matters i.e. the election to be held on party basis,

    providing their lists of candidates, and bearing the election

    expenses only from party funds. Secondly, the elections

    should be held on Proportional Representation basis.

    3. Senior most Vice-chancellor from amongst all Pakistaniuniversities Vice-chancellors may be installed as President

    prior to the formation of the interim government.

    Nuzair Hasan

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    Quaids Vision

    This is a summary of the letter sent toDr. Muhammad Farooq Sattar Deputy Convener of MQM

    Referring to the recent confrontational debate initiated bythe MQM Rabita Committee members, especially Mr

    Haider Abbas Rizvi, to choose either Quaids Pakistan or

    that of the Talibans, I take strong exception to some

    distortion arising from this untimely debate. For yourconsideration my article BETRAYAL and much more

    can be read or downloaded from website.

    I also seize this opportunity to reproduce below someextracts from my recent letter emailed to Mr. Altaf Hussain

    which needs to be given serious thought.

    Let me please recall here that the persons like myself still

    proudly wear the badge of their Muhajir heritage going

    back to the days of the advent of Islam. Had some of us not

    forgotten our commitment to rejuvenate the spirit of Islam

    based on Ijtihad, the Afghan Taliban or their Pakistani

    namesake would have not resorted to propagate their crudebrand of Islam. Infact, Taliban phenomena would not have

    taken roots in the first instance had Pakistan stood

    steadfastly by the objective it was created for. Perhaps, now

    we must await suspense-fully their invasion like their

    predecessors during the centuries gone by..I wonder if

    this is the price to be paid when out-growing too quickly in

    pursuit of recognition as a main-stream (secular) party,though still shunned by all others.

    Nuzair Hasan

    www.nakhudapublications.com

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    PAKISTANS DILEMMA

    No wonder, having lost and forgotten the founding

    fathers vision for Pakistan, the nation still appears

    to be struggling to find its true role. The bookspresented by Nakhuda Publications can however

    be viewed as a serious attempt to resolve the

    identity crisis facing it. Read or listen in the

    comfort of your home or while on a long drive. An

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