Wednesday, May 23, 2007
WASHINGTON DIARY:
Democracy, with or without America
By Dr Manzur Ejaz
Everywhere in the US, Pakistani expatriate groups are holding protest rallies and organising teach-in sessions on democracy and independent judiciary. Over the last weekend an impressive protest rally was held in front of the White House
The growing movement in Pakistan for the restoration of democracy and institutionalisation has also galvanised the Pakistani expatriates in the United States. They are all expecting the US government to re-evaluate its policy towards General Pervez Musharrafâs government and support the aspirations of Pakistanâs civil society.
The Washington circles are cognisant of the uprising in Pakistan but they are still not sure if the anti-Musharraf movement will be led by the non-religious section of the opposition or, if down the road, the coalition of religious parties, Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal, will capture the leadership. There are some who believe that, contrary to her claim, the US has never supported a democratic movement and will never do so in the future. They point to the recent experience in Iraq and Afghanistan where the US has induced religious fundamentalism and suppression of women.
The visit to Lahore by chief justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Chaudhry, and the manner in which the MQM thwarted him in Karachi have rekindled the fading hopes of many activists from the old and new generation of Pakistani expatriates. Everywhere in the US, Pakistani expatriate groups are holding protest rallies and organising teach-in sessions on democracy and independent judiciary. Over the last weekend an impressive protest rally was held in front of the White House. The enthusiasm and re-emergence of the old political cadre indicates that a new political movement is taking birth.
However, in all such gatherings, everyone is occupied with questions as to the future direction and prospects of the movement for democracy and the indolence of state institutions like the judiciary. Activists, with progressive and enlightened views, are very concerned about Benazir Bhuttoâs confusing statements in which she is on every side of the main issues. Probably, everyone, even people from her own party, wants her to abandon the deal and join the peopleâs movement whether she decides to return or stay abroad.
Pakistani expatriate are also watching the US governmentâs response to the rising anti-Musharraf movement. They feel that now when the democratic movement is being led by non-religious sections of the society, the US has no excuse to support the Musharraf government. But two feminists from Iraq and Afghanistan, interviewed by Amy Goodman of âDemocracy Nowâ, are not very optimistic about US policies in their countries.
Ms Yanar Mohammed. Co-founder of the Organisation for Womenâs Freedom in Iraq contends that â. . .when you look at the situation, it is as if the country was occupied and later on handed down to the extremists who were responsible of the 9/11â. She alleges that the US consciously groomed the religious right at the expense of the secular and democratic forces. She asks, âWhy are all the TV outlets given to Islamists? Where are the democrats? Why arenât they being supported? Where are the seculars? Why are the womenâs groups not being supported? ...It is as if it was a plan to make us weaker â the women, the freedom-loving people of Iraq â and to support the extremists, to give them, to hand the government over to them.â
She contends that fundamentalism or honour killing was not an Iraqi phenomenon before the US invasion. However, now the entire political space is occupied by the mullahs and honour killings have become very common. The situation has degenerated so much that a young girl, belonging to a Yazidi sect, was stoned to death because she fell in love with a Sunni boy.
Describing the horrible killing of the young girl she says âhundreds of males standing around. None of them helped, but they were very keen on photographing the scene, on videotaping it on their cell phones, on their mobile phones...The policemen were standing and watching and actually they helped to get the young girl back to the place where she was killed.â
Ms Yanar Mohammed alleges that the US has pushed back Iraq to the stone age and Dr Sima Samar, chair of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and United Nationâs special envoy to Darfur, Sudan, agrees with her. âI completely agree with Yanar, because â we have the same problem in Afghanistan. There is not much support for the progressive groups in the country...â. According to her when the US invaded Afghanistan it supported some of the jihadi leaders to fight against the Taliban. The jihadi groups have been given money and support by the US troops without any accountability. This practice has continued and the US and its allies have not supported any progressive or democratic groups or women organisations.
The question is if the US cannot support democratic forces in Iraq or Afghanistan where it went to spread the universal concept of democracy, how will it support secular and enlightened forces in Pakistan. It seems that the US foreign policy has an inbred bias against secular-progressive forces in the developing countries and ends up siding with right-wing extremists and tyrants. In South America it supported ultra-right death squads and in other places a similar policy was adopted in other forms. Therefore, some will argue, that it is futile to tie any hopes with the US.
Presently, the US circles seem to favour restoration of genuine democracy in Pakistan. However, one finds an extreme dislike for leaders of the two major parties, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. The apprehension of the MMA taking over the movement is also a concern for the US. Therefore, most likely, the democratic forces are not going to find any help from Washington. They are more likely to be disappointed as have been Yanar Mohammed and Dr Sima Samar. Nonetheless, the movement for restoring democracy and basic institutions in Pakistan may succeed despite the US.
The writer can be reached at [email protected]
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\05\23\story_23-5-2007_pg3_5
WASHINGTON DIARY:
Democracy, with or without America
By Dr Manzur Ejaz
Everywhere in the US, Pakistani expatriate groups are holding protest rallies and organising teach-in sessions on democracy and independent judiciary. Over the last weekend an impressive protest rally was held in front of the White House
The growing movement in Pakistan for the restoration of democracy and institutionalisation has also galvanised the Pakistani expatriates in the United States. They are all expecting the US government to re-evaluate its policy towards General Pervez Musharrafâs government and support the aspirations of Pakistanâs civil society.
The Washington circles are cognisant of the uprising in Pakistan but they are still not sure if the anti-Musharraf movement will be led by the non-religious section of the opposition or, if down the road, the coalition of religious parties, Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal, will capture the leadership. There are some who believe that, contrary to her claim, the US has never supported a democratic movement and will never do so in the future. They point to the recent experience in Iraq and Afghanistan where the US has induced religious fundamentalism and suppression of women.
The visit to Lahore by chief justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Chaudhry, and the manner in which the MQM thwarted him in Karachi have rekindled the fading hopes of many activists from the old and new generation of Pakistani expatriates. Everywhere in the US, Pakistani expatriate groups are holding protest rallies and organising teach-in sessions on democracy and independent judiciary. Over the last weekend an impressive protest rally was held in front of the White House. The enthusiasm and re-emergence of the old political cadre indicates that a new political movement is taking birth.
However, in all such gatherings, everyone is occupied with questions as to the future direction and prospects of the movement for democracy and the indolence of state institutions like the judiciary. Activists, with progressive and enlightened views, are very concerned about Benazir Bhuttoâs confusing statements in which she is on every side of the main issues. Probably, everyone, even people from her own party, wants her to abandon the deal and join the peopleâs movement whether she decides to return or stay abroad.
Pakistani expatriate are also watching the US governmentâs response to the rising anti-Musharraf movement. They feel that now when the democratic movement is being led by non-religious sections of the society, the US has no excuse to support the Musharraf government. But two feminists from Iraq and Afghanistan, interviewed by Amy Goodman of âDemocracy Nowâ, are not very optimistic about US policies in their countries.
Ms Yanar Mohammed. Co-founder of the Organisation for Womenâs Freedom in Iraq contends that â. . .when you look at the situation, it is as if the country was occupied and later on handed down to the extremists who were responsible of the 9/11â. She alleges that the US consciously groomed the religious right at the expense of the secular and democratic forces. She asks, âWhy are all the TV outlets given to Islamists? Where are the democrats? Why arenât they being supported? Where are the seculars? Why are the womenâs groups not being supported? ...It is as if it was a plan to make us weaker â the women, the freedom-loving people of Iraq â and to support the extremists, to give them, to hand the government over to them.â
She contends that fundamentalism or honour killing was not an Iraqi phenomenon before the US invasion. However, now the entire political space is occupied by the mullahs and honour killings have become very common. The situation has degenerated so much that a young girl, belonging to a Yazidi sect, was stoned to death because she fell in love with a Sunni boy.
Describing the horrible killing of the young girl she says âhundreds of males standing around. None of them helped, but they were very keen on photographing the scene, on videotaping it on their cell phones, on their mobile phones...The policemen were standing and watching and actually they helped to get the young girl back to the place where she was killed.â
Ms Yanar Mohammed alleges that the US has pushed back Iraq to the stone age and Dr Sima Samar, chair of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and United Nationâs special envoy to Darfur, Sudan, agrees with her. âI completely agree with Yanar, because â we have the same problem in Afghanistan. There is not much support for the progressive groups in the country...â. According to her when the US invaded Afghanistan it supported some of the jihadi leaders to fight against the Taliban. The jihadi groups have been given money and support by the US troops without any accountability. This practice has continued and the US and its allies have not supported any progressive or democratic groups or women organisations.
The question is if the US cannot support democratic forces in Iraq or Afghanistan where it went to spread the universal concept of democracy, how will it support secular and enlightened forces in Pakistan. It seems that the US foreign policy has an inbred bias against secular-progressive forces in the developing countries and ends up siding with right-wing extremists and tyrants. In South America it supported ultra-right death squads and in other places a similar policy was adopted in other forms. Therefore, some will argue, that it is futile to tie any hopes with the US.
Presently, the US circles seem to favour restoration of genuine democracy in Pakistan. However, one finds an extreme dislike for leaders of the two major parties, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. The apprehension of the MMA taking over the movement is also a concern for the US. Therefore, most likely, the democratic forces are not going to find any help from Washington. They are more likely to be disappointed as have been Yanar Mohammed and Dr Sima Samar. Nonetheless, the movement for restoring democracy and basic institutions in Pakistan may succeed despite the US.
The writer can be reached at [email protected]
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\05\23\story_23-5-2007_pg3_5
