Pakistan: Why a Nation Governed by Dead-ended People?

Mahboob A. Khawaja, Ph.D.

To any realist observers of the Pakistani political affairs, it is becoming crystal clear that the PPP Zardari gang are the wrong people, at wrong places and doing the wrong things.

In wars, when an aggressor sees the defeat coming, it resorts to mass killings of the civilian population to avenge the fear of the unknown. To pursue its policy of global domination, now American strategists run death squads in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The aim is to terrorize the masses by drone attacks and death squads and destroy their habitats thus creating more reactionary terrorism through its paid political agents - the ruling elite. The cruelty of the American led bogus war on terrorism has transformed Pakistan into a non-productive beggar nation, solely looking to military and economic aid for all of its operations. The army Generals and their by-products – the ruling Bhutto family-PPP Zardari, and in-waiting  Nawaz Sharif (Muslim League-N), have infected the body politics of Pakistan with corruption and political tyranny, draining out all of the positive thinking and creative energies of the nation for change, development and a promising future. Bhuttos and the Zardari gang must be tried for crimes against the people of Pakistan. If the law and justice system is in tact, these political thugs and indicted criminals should not be allowed to hold offices of public responsibility but be held accountable in a court of law. The besieged nation MUST see itself in the mirror and learn from the dead past, to change the future course of history and to articulate a new beginning - a new political system  under the new educated generation of honest, intelligent and visionary leadership to strive for a promising future.

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When pretension and stingy greed give life to politically manipulated leadership, treachery and oppression become the rule of political governance in which people are seen as the eggs and chickens, conveniently broken and slaughtered and politicians are akin to assume the above normal role play lacking legitimacy and accountability. Pakistani politics regrettably as is, a venture of intrigues, self-engineered conspiracies and dead roll calls to explain the history of this beleaguered nation. Feudal lords are the political masters, and Bhutto family with complacent army Generals, has been one of them to unfold a naïve and destructive chapter of the Pakistan’s political misfortunes. Mr. ZA Bhutto, the leader of the PPP, his daughter Benazir Bhutto, two of her brothers, all are dead but they still ruling the country by imposter Zardari as the latest example. Alive or dead, Bhutto family has been the centre of political intrigues and destructive problems in Pakistan. How irrational and untrue it seems that dead people are leading the living masses of Pakistan? The business of the dead as usual. A situation comparable to the present day Iraq under the American-British occupation.

Layla Anawar (“The Arab Women’s Blue”), is a famous Iraqi female blogger who shares her opinions and first-hand observations across varied and conflicting time zones, cultures, human conscience marked with absence of time and place; she introduces her major interests:

“Counting the dead in the Middle East, dead bodies, dead minds, dead souls …And maybe like Isthar – trying to resuscitate -- the kiss of Life.”

Pakistan, a Muslim nation of living people is governed by physically, morally and politically dead people who cannot change the course of history nor make any difference to the present volatile politics carving a hopeless future. Islamically, dead are those who are forgetful of the memory of Allah, ignorant and arrogant people devoid of public accountability. The PPP regime under Zardari meets the set criterion requirements. The political elite sees its best interests in engaging with dead ideas and foreign strategies and buying time for good times at the expense of the nation toll of miseries and havoc social and political conditions. The overwhelming occupation of the dead minds and souls is to see how best they could exploit the common citizens or to get foreign monetary assistance to finance the self and bogus projects for change and economic development.  The Dawn (May 6, 2010), cites Chaudry Nisar Ahmad, MP and Chief of the Public Accounting Office in the National Assembly) “there is a sea of corruption”, money stolen from the national treasury and mismanaged by the political elite. Would this reporting hold anyone responsible for these crimes? Not so. The Assemblies operate on bogus agendas irrelevant to the public interests and all of the corrupt people are part of the political gambling.

Of all the political and intellectual bankruptcy, the ruling elite is preoccupied to investigate who killed Miss Benazir Bhutto, the ex PM and twice dismissed on corruption charges and under investigation for 12-15 money laundering schemes along with her husband Asif Ali Zardari, the current self-made President and inheritor of her “suspected bogus will.” The Zardari regime invested $40 million to the dysfunctional UN to come up with a fact finding report on the killing of Miss Bhutto. One wonders, while country is experiencing a life and death situation with daily terrorist suicide bombings and civilian bloodsheds and non-productive economy and catastrophic social and political saga, could this be the top priority of the Muslim nation to conduct political surgery on the dead body of Miss Bhutto?  What importance does Miss Bhutto has in relation to the security, integrity and the future of Pakistan? What would come out of the dead bodies and graveyard? There are plenty of Pakistanis with living conscience to question the absurdity of these politically manufactured delusions as dead politicians have nothing else to do to remedy the sufferings of the 170 million living human beings.

Once again, history of the British Raj over India is reactivated through the “divide and rule” policy. The American led war is financing the terrorism to destroy Pakistan within and take control of its nuclear warheads. They have helped to make the Pakistanis helpless and desperate to kill each other for no obvious and rational purpose except money and political power. The Generals, Bhuttos, Zardari and Sharifs are the instruments being used to pursue this strategic goal. In 1857, Muslims in India were defeated when the British mercenaries were successful in crippling them within by their own bribed agents of influence – Mir Jaffar and Mir Sadaq and so many others. ZA Bhutto was one of the key conspirators to surrender East Pakistan to India enabling him to become president of west Pakistan. Miss Benazir Bhutto, her mother Nusrat Bhutto and Zardari are alleged to have masterminded the 1988 plane crash of General Ziaul Haq killing hundreds of innocent people to get elected. The accusations originate from the family of General Zia ul Haq and are not denied by anybody. August 14, 1947, is the only time when the power was peacefully transferred to Quaid e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, otherwise, it is a bloody history of treacherous conspiracies to change the powerhouses.

Mr. ZA Bhutto was ordered to be hanged by the Supreme Court on charges of killing a political opponent. By Pakistani standards, the trial was open and non-partisan. He was never elected to be a leader in one Pakistan (comprising both the East and West Pakistan) as it was Sheikh Mujib ur Rehman, leader of the National Awami Party with majority to assume the leadership but military intervention deprived him the role of a united Prime Minister as it was conspired by Bhutto and General Yayha Khan. Both were active complacent in the surrender of almost 100,000 Pakistani troops and killings of countless innocent civilians in the former East Pakistan enabling them to remain in power. ZA Bhutto did not die for Pakistan except for the self.

Did Miss Bhutto die for Islam? No

Did Miss Bhutto die for Pakistan? No

Did Miss Bhutto die for democracy and freedom of the captive nation? No

ZA Bhutto met his ambitions by conspiring to disintegrate Pakistan and surrender to India and got hanged for the political murder. Benazir Bhutto met her ambition by allegedly killing General Zia ul Haq with 12 other army Generals and 100 or so civilians in the 1988 plane crash and finally was gunned down at an election rally. Zardari has just scarified a black goat to warn off the evils but his future increasingly becoming short-lived and uncertain. It is rational to assume that dead people make no difference to the living creation of God. The PPP ruling elite finds it convenient to draw the legitimacy for political governance from the dead ZA Bhutto and dead Benazir Bhutto; otherwise, there is no rational political basis which could stand as reference point to Zardari. Facts are denied but pretension lives on that the Bhuttos were “shaheed”- martyrs- a political cliché to distort the facts of human life and history. To any realist observer of Pakistani affairs, it is becoming crystal clear that they are the wrong people, at wrong places and doing the wrong things. The so called American financed democracy has no relationship to the living masses across Pakistan. With 40 years of lost time and opportunities under the dictatorship of various army Generals, dismantled public institutions, devastated social and economic affairs, disjointed trades and commerce, political surge of terrorism, 12,900 civilians killed in 2009, and thousands in detention camps under the military control, and dead leadership, how could a nation be able to conduct business as usual?

Pakistan appears a replica of the occupied Iraq under the US forces. Layla Anwar (“Democracy- What Democracy”. ICH March 10, 2010), ushers words of wisdom on the Iraqi legacy of freedom and democracy.

“One Arabic TV, I am not sure if it was Al-Sharqiya or Arabiya ran a very short documentary on the state of palm trees in Iraq. All the palm trees are dying because of lack of water, thanks to fucked up Iran, diverting the water flow by building illegal dams.

Anyways, they interviewed this poor old farmer. He said I lost everything, except two palm trees, that's all I've got left and am tending to them as my own children. And what does the government do? They come and plaster their shitty faces on my palm tree trunks. He used the word shitty. I suppose that kind of sums up Iraqi democracy under occupation that kind of sums up the democracy brought on by America.”

Layla Anwar illuminates the blog with prisoners of conscience across Iraq, a situation comparable to Pakistan for the missing people - the AMERICAN jails IN IRAQ:

”In other words the barbaric hoards of americans cross oceans to come and jail people in their own country - and the same animals call it Freedom and Democracy. It's like me landing in that shit hole called the USA and I bring with me a hoard of men and jail all of you bastards in your own turf. And those I can't jail myself, I will hand over to leaders of sectarian death squads so they can grill your asses, barbecue them or drill you to the bone...but hey am bringing you freedom, I am actually liberating you from a dictatorship...why can't you sons of bitches be grateful now ?! Oh and am sorry if there are instances of a little" excessive use of force" if at all - I've got a few "bad apples" in my cart.”

Would the dead people re-emerge as visionary leaders for the future of the country?  Not rationally, but Pakistani politics is not run by rational people with rational ideas and ideals for the interests of the common citizens. The junk history exhibits accumulative junk of several decades. Its inescapable consequences have brought Asif Zardari – a known thug and indicted criminal to the presidency. There could be hundreds and thousands of puppet Zardaris and Bhuttos affiliated with such an establishment. The nation has a serious problem of integrity and political credibility. Both major political parties- the ruling PPP and the Muslim League of Nawaz Sharif are the by-products of military dictatorship, not the outcome of the grassroots movements of the society. They are easy to sell, easy to buy- a horse trading show of the Pakistani nation. Could the THINKING PEOPLE (if any) of Pakistan reverse the course of junk history and make a new beginning based on the Islamic ideology and values of the concept of Pakistan? Could the new generations of educated, honest and intelligent Pakistanis initiate new political institutions and produce proactive visionary leadership and help to protect the integrity and security of the besieged nation?

The military dictators, Bhuttos, Zardari and Sharifs could never have come into politics unless the whole nation had lost the sense of PURPOSE and MEANING of its existence. Are there any concerned and proactive young people to safeguard the national interests of the present and future generations of Muslim Pakistan?

With the continuing politics of the inherent criminals, the nation appears at odds with the Zardari regime and the military establishments, it is not just the 20 hours of daily electric load shedding but the onslaught of failed economy, dismantled trade and commerce, impact of the unpayable $70 billion IMF debt, institutionalized political corruption and daily reactionary terrorist bloodsheds caused by domestic insurgents and foreign death squads and terrorists, the nation lives on denials of even the basic amenities of life found commonly available across the developing world. Pakistanis find themselves in a living hell that Saeed Qureshi, a reputable international journalist describes it “Kiamat- Doomsday of Pakistan (April 11, 2010).

General Musharaf, Bhuttos, Zardaris and Sharifs are not the hope for the future but dead entries of the darkest part of the Pakistani history. They collaboratively articulated a culture of political exploitation and institutionalized corruption to transform Pakistan into a so called “failed state” and according to the US Foreign Policy magazine, “most dangerous place on earth.” They helped to bring religious terrorism into the Pakistani mainstream and victimized the nation. In the course of history, the consequences of this man made culture gave fertile impetus to reactionary public outbursts and emerging terrorism against the ruling regimes. None of them could have done alone but hundreds and thousands of other likeminded people must have been actively involved in pursuing the similar evil goals making Pakistan- “the most dangerous place on earth.” A decade earlier, the Forum of Concerned Pakistanis in Canada wrote and reminded to General Musharaf (the self made president at the time), that “a wicked person (khabis) never harms another wicked person (khabis). To undo the wickedness (khabasat), find intelligent and righteous people into the governance”, but he seems to have defied the logic of this advice and now living in $1.4 million mansion in London protected by the British security services.   The nation must see the mirror or it stands no chance for the recourse and coming out of the dead graveyards. None of these figures made any positive contributions towards democracy or to safeguard the integrity and security of Pakistan. History has a defined role and the present and future generations must give credence to these developments and learn to be aware of the future in waiting, and how best to make a navigational change to ensure independence and integrity of an Islamic Pakistan. If some were alive and you were to ask the Generals, Bhuttos, Zardaris and Sharifs, what went wrong with them?  What made them to transgress against the poor masses of Pakistan? Why were they dismissed from the public offices? What made them to act like cruel traitors to the interest of the Pakistani people?  Why could they not change their wrong THINKING? Surely, they will claim innocence and blame others. But history sees the leaders by their actions, not by their claims.

A century earlier, Robert Briffault (The Making of Humanity), made a candid observation which amicably represents the contemporary Pakistani politics:

“The men who have most injured and oppressed humanity, who have most deeply sinned against it, were according to their standards and their conscience, good men; what was bad in them, what wrought moral evil and cruelty, treason to truth and progress, was not at all their intentions, in their purpose, in their personal character, but in their opinions.”

Leaders do lead or they are imposters and stage puppets. The criterion requirements determine the role of leaders as standing for righteousness (haq), not for falsehood (batil). They cherish the collective interests and good of the masses and defy the obsession of egoistic self-interests and they are always open to listening, learning and capable of making navigational change, if the facts of life warrant such a change. Western democratic nations eagerly search and patronize new and creative talents and people with visionary leadership outlook and merits. This appears to be a rare commodity in Pakistani politics. To change the adverse historical trend, Pakistan is desperate for new, educated and intelligent proactive leadership to facilitate a sustainable future for the nation. In a knowledge-driven global age of rising expectations and public accountability, most developed societal politics would set criterion requirements and define standards of quality and specifications for performance in jobs/role-plays and in positions of greater public responsibility. Why are not there any written standards and defined criterion requirements for the positions of the President, Prime Ministers and Ministers and MP’s in Pakistan?  Should the Constitution not define such salient features and characteristics of the vital office bearers? Is there any law and justice system in the country to protect the interests of the beleaguered masses? Are the leaders not supposed to provide intellectual security and sense of direction in crises, and a visionary picture of the future to the nation they claim to represent? Under what operational system, do thugs and indicted criminals get legitimacy and approval to hold public offices for which they do not even qualify? Once again, political garbage is piling up but who should clean it? The Generals and the PPP Zardari regime are pre-occupied with the dead business not mindful of the living hell being experienced by the 170 million citizens, counting the dead bodies, dead souls and the reactionaries eager to die for a national cause, not shared by the ruling elite. Should the Generals be held responsible for their by-products to clean up the combined stinking mess from the body politics of the nation?