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Random Thoughts An Extraordinary

Situation Requires Extraordinary Solutions


Jan 19, 2015

This piece was triggered by a query from a friend: as to how do


we strengthen the democracy and get out of the present malaise.

My first stipulation is that there has never been


democracy in Pakistan ab initio. What we have is an
uninterrupted feudal system since at least the last 13
centuries or so. This pernicious system has permeated to
all nooks and corners of our body politic. It has
subjugated the psyche of everyone and everything from
our homes to corporate and state institutions to political
parties. It has retarded us both psychologically and
physically. It thrives on status quo education,
enlightenment and progress is anathema to it. It stifles
growth, creativity, innovation and progress. It is
exploitative, retrogressive and parasitical. It does not
tolerate dissent or change. It is based on raw power,
greed and corruption; and corrupts everything it touches.
It uses religious dogma and religious spin doctors to
nurture itself. Its weapons are the threat of physical
decapitation and terror.
To legitimize itself, it uses the trappings and symbols of
democracy, like elections and parliament etc.
Since it is a nihilistic and retrogressive system; it spurns
and eschews talent, merit and professionalism. There is
no sense of responsibility or accountability. Politics have

been honed tyo a fine art of making money. Acquisition


of public office is the time-honored method to power, pelf,
property and money. Therefore scum and infra-mediocre
personalities rise up; who are actually criminals, thugs
and extortionists. These ruling thugs have developed
nexus with terrorists and criminals. Indeed all political
parties have raised armed criminal gangs to keep
themselves in money by extortion; while not in power. But
for those in power, it is not a problem: the state
machinery and its minions oblige. Those of the feudal ilk,
whether in power or not; even get away with murder too!
This nihilist and pernicious system has even corrupted
the mosque and the madarassa; once a symbol of Islam
and Islamic culture. Islam has been politicized to gain
political power. Its eternal message of unity and peace
has been subverted to cause disunity and strife.
Sectarianism has reached its apogee; now the color of
turban is the emblem of ones faith. Most mosques have
been taken over by bigots who spit out hate and venom
against those, whom turban color does not, matches their
color aesthetics. An overwhelming number of madrassas
have become a veritable assembly-line of jihadis. There is
discernible nexus between the feudalism, mulla and
terrorism.
Today, as a result of the afore-mentioned trinity of evil;
all our institutions stand tarnished and corrupted by
feudalism some more, some less.
The end-result is that Pakistan has become a failed state.
Some might quibble that it is not a failed state or that it is

a failing state. This is all semantics: in simple terms a


state stands failed due to its failure to provide protection
to life and property of its subjects, justice, freedom of
belief and a prosperous life. I know that scholars, experts
and researchers have drawn elaborate matrixes to
determine whether a state is a failed one or otherwise.
But if one applies the simple criteria given above; it
should give a good idea of the health of the state.
Thererfore, my second stipulation is that today Pakistan is
a failed state. In fact its ideological moorings got
unstuck, the day East Pakistan separated.
Notwithstanding other factors; the essentially non-feudal
East could not allow itself to be colonized by the
essentially feudal West.
The insidious feudal system has since thrived and
perpetuated itself no end. As stated earlier the feudal
system has since moved from its natural rural habitat to
the urban areas. Feudals have used their land-holding to
buy urban property and shares, ownership in industries
etc. This has allowed the osmosis of the feudalistic
psyche in the urbanized masses also.
The wages of rampant feudalism in Pakistan is what you
see today: mis-governance of the highest order (rather no
governance), scarcity of basic essentials like food, water,
electricity and fuel; a highly beghairat coterie of criminals
ruling and looting us. 350 kids have died in Thar and no
heads have rolled. 85 kids died due to lack of oxygen in
Sargodha and no heads rolled. A dozen plus citizens
were mowed down by the state police (Model Town,

Lahore) and again no heads rolled. Thousands of people


died during the last floods and no heads rolled. And I
have yet to touch terrorism.
The irony is that the two elements who were against the
creation of Pakistan: the mullas and the feudals have now
joined hands with the third- to undo Pakistan.
The existential situation is not viable; enemies both
within and without are tightening the noose around us.
Neither have we learned any lessons from our internal
catastrophe the bifurcation of Pakistan; nor are we
heeding the lessons of what has devastated Afghanistan,
Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
To repeat a clich, an extraordinary situation calls for an
extraordinary counter- measures to resolve it.
The military has after a long and a damaging delay, gone
after the insurgents/ terrorists. Although, it is necessary,
but not a sufficient condition to ameliorate the situation.
We need to do more. We need to also go after the
appeasers/ collaborators/ abettors/ sympathizers and
mouth-pieces of terrorists; be they in the ruling class,
political parties, media, civil society, judiciary and LEAs.
They have unleashed vitriolic propaganda against the
military action and military courts. The religious parties
(the main providers of the foot-soldiers of terrorism) and
media are particularly obfuscating the issue and fanning
confusion among the masses. The incumbent
government (if one could call a criminal syndicate of
professional thugs a government) is dragging its feet and

is reluctant to take action against terrorists; due to their


established links with the latter. It is only the military boot
on their backside which is impelling them to make thee
needed motions.
Following are some of the measures which need to be
taken with alacrity; these are not exhaustive or inclusive
by any means. Some of them have been discussed in this
space earlier too, in different contexts:
a. Since there is no democracy in the country (or ever
was); therefore, no act to ameliorate the situation
should be seen in that context. Army should take
over not to rule, but to install a non-political and
technocratic government.
b. Those articles of the constitution which might impede
action against the terrorists/ criminals or corrupt
elements should be suspended by fiat.
c. Since we are fighting a war for our survival;
emergency should be declared.
d. Press censorship should be imposed to obviate
dissemination of dis-information and preclude space
to terrorists and their sympathizers who are clogging
the talk shows.
e. All political activity, political and religious parties
should be banned. No media coverage should be
given to politicians and others who are working
against Pakistan.
f. Those madrassas which are the recruiting/ training
factories of jihadis should be demolished without any
compunction. And those which refuse to be regulated
should be sealed. And if some madrassas are

amenable to regulation and allowed to function; then


it should be ensured that they have only local kids as
students. I fail to understand that why almost 80%
students at Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa were from
Swat, KPK and FATA? Is there a dearth of madrassas
in those areas?
g. Punjab University, International Islamic University,
Islamabad and other non-madarassa campuses
should be purged of terrorist collaborators and JI
types.
h. Those mosques which regurgitate sectarian drivel or
espouses the tenets of a particular sect should be
sealed.
i. Use of loudspeakers should be banned. Azan and
azan timings should be broadcasted through TV and
radio.
j. Complete deweaponization should be enforced.
Anybody found with a weapon, concealed/ hidden
licensed or otherwise should be shot out of hand.
k. Any individual who has evaded taxes, defaulted on
utility bills or loan etc should be tried by summary
military court (this should include the corrupt
generals of the railway and NLC scandals too).
l. The most egregious criminals should be hanged.
m.
Money repatriated abroad illegally should be
brought back. Ask the criminal to transfer the money
back through wire on the pain of being shot on the
spot.
n. The cases in which the terrorists have been acquitted
or granted bail should be examined; and if any wrong

doing is determined by the judge, prosecutor or the


police; they should be hanged.
o. And we should not forget the ruling mafia, which has
made water,
Petrol, gas, food and medicine scarce; have
committed a horrendous economic terrorism. They
deserved to be hanged. There looting and nonpolicies have killed our kids in Thar and elsewhere,
But we cannot win the war unless the present system is
dismantled holistically; because our unique dilemma is
that piecemeal reform wont as all parts of the system
political, judicial, social, educational and economic etc
are contaminated. To stretch the point, even if part off the
whole is put right; it will be overwhelmed due to the
preponderance of rest of the corrupt parts.
Notwithstanding the above, our most potent existential
threat is that of terrorism make no mistake about it. But
since it is part of taxonomy of our prevalent system; it
cannot be truly defeated, unless the whole corrupt edifice
is razed to the ground. A tall order, but believe me, it is
doable.
Anti-terrorism is no joke; it needs determination,
ruthlessness and relentlessness. It is war; and in war kill
or be killed.
Naeem

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