Pakistan – living in denial?

[desiman]

Pakistan – living in denial?

Bilal Qureshi

It is never easy to write about Pakistan because there is never anything good, positive or even encouraging to discuss. It is always a bomb attack, which now has turned into a horrific Bombay style shoot out as we witnessed in Lahore, or a terrorist or terrorists trying to blow up something in the world connected to a training camp in Pakistan.

Then, there are protests in the country against power shortage, lack of food commodities (think flour, sugar etc). To top all this, we see agitation and processions against America, facebook and Youtube (and Israel and India) where people are raging and shouting angry slogans. I can go and on, but you get my point. Now, if this is the backdrop, how anyone can write glowingly about a peaceful and/or prosperous Pakistan? One has to write about Pakistan’s true picture.

There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that today’s Pakistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world, regardless of what yardstick we use to measure danger. It offers nothing to anyone who might be interested in visiting because of work or family related situation.


Otherwise, can you think of anyone or any reason for people to travel to Pakistan? I have tried hard, but can’t come up with any rational or logical explanation to fly there. Those who have family ties are cutting back their annual travel plans. Those who travel to Pakistan for work prepare like they won’t come back. And leisure travel to Pakistan was almost never an options for foreigners, and therefore, there goes the tourism (and with that, a good source of income) option.

Perhaps the news that peace is almost always synonymous with economic vitality has not yet reached Pakistan. And it is obvious that Pakistanis don’t even know and realize that companies planning to expand beyond America (google, Microsoft, Oracle, Intel, Dell, HP, Apple, and the list goes on and on) have opted for two countries. For hardware and other production related supplies, corporations deal with China and for software and call centers, businesses establish branches in India. And for Pakistan it means lost opportunities – and by extension, loss of significant tax revenue, excellent job and training openings. But, if you look at Pakistan, they are more concerned about fighting Americans, fighting each other, fighting imaginary threats, instead of developing a country which attracts visitor, business and tourists.

On the contrary, people of Pakistan, sadly, live in a parallel universe, a universe created by mullahs and promoted by the so-called anchors on private television channels in Pakistan. Both mullahs and these so-called anchors take guidance from Pakistan army, which has its own agenda. Otherwise, mullah and these so-called anchors can change Pakistan’s future because they have tremendous reach and power over Pakistanis public, but mullahs and anchors are more sympatric to Osama then their own countrymen and this attitude prevents them from honestly looking up anything objectively. Thus, it is hard to believe, but it is true that despite horrific ground realities, Pakistanis believe that they are about to run over the Americans, Jews and Indians and after that, Pakistan will become what they believe was always Pakistan’s destiny – a global Islamic power with nuclear arms. Well, this denial and blindness to emerging internal threats has turned Pakistan into a global hub of terrorism and the country itself is a ticking time bomb.

But don’t tell this to Pakistanis as they are not willing to listen to anything logic based on facts. There is only way to get through to Pakistanis – speak and rage against the Americans and you are a hit, a hero and a celebrity, otherwise, you are just an agent working for the C.I.A. plain, and simple.

So, what is next for Pakistan given every day protests, terrorist attacks, shootouts with police, attack on religious institutions, visiting sporting teams, the GHQ, the police academy and F.I.A offices in Lahore, the bombing of Marriott in Islamabad, and other countless attacks? Nothing, yes, the answer is nothing because majority of Pakistanis refuse to believe that they are under attack by the Taliban. They believe and it is hard to accept for anyone with brains, but majority of the Pakistanis believe that a ‘foreign hand’ with aid from the Americans is behind al the trouble. Because the country has been in denial for so long about its failings that now when the fever is about to reach boiling point, it is simply not possible for Pakistanis to abandon what they were told and they believed ‘foreign hand’ behind every tragedy in Pakistan mantra and suddenly comes to terms with the reality of being targeted by Muslims taking on Muslims.


I know a lot of Pakistanis living abroad who believe that Pakistan is a lost cause and there is nothing that will change Pakistan’s course. They believe that living in denial and living on borrowed money has its limit and very soon, the country will explode, not because of external danger, but because of out of control population, out of control rhetoric, out of control debt, out of control inflation and joblessness and out of control angry public’s inability to stop and accept mistakes.

Pakistan – living in denial? Pak Tea House

 

[desiman]

Amazing article and a must read for sure.

 

[Aslan]

I have a question for you and many of your friends, first let me start by saying thank you for posting that article, but seriously dont you guys have any thing else to do but to find articles that show us in bad light either intentionally or unintentionally, articles that are highlighting our problems? Good that you guys are so concerned about us. But when ever we see any thing about india its india booming, india this, india at the top of the world. Dont any thing go wrong in india at all. Or are you guys too busy finding articles about Pakistan that y'all forget to look at your own problems?

And just to clarify, as I might get accused for it I am not trying to troll, rather its a genuine query.

 

[Aslan]

And also to add to the article when ever the americans are done exploiting Pakistan, all kinds of sanctions are placed on us. So what should a normal Pakistani feel about the US.

And also if one looks at the current mood in Pakistan they will realize that the population is not living in denial. They know that there is a problem. And they are standing shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces to fight it out. I dont know where the author is getting his/her facts from or may be he/she is the one living in denial.

 

[sparklingway]

A brilliant piece along the very same lines:-

Religious extremism and its apologists​

By Shahid M Amin

June 15, 2010

The writer is a former ambassador who has served in France and Saudi Arabia (shahid.amin@tribune.com.pk)

Religious extremists in Pakistan – whether they belong to al Qaeda, the Taliban, or the lashkars and sipahs of various hues – have made their agenda very clear. They believe in an extremely narrow-minded version of Islam and intend to impose it on us with the use of brutal force. They showed to the world what they preach during the Taliban control of Afghanistan, Swat, parts of Waziristan and elsewhere where they have held sway in the past. Their brave new world was a fascist state ruled by mullahs with no freedom of thought, assembly or press. Women were caged in their houses, forced to wear shuttlecock burqas, and could neither be educated nor hold jobs. Music, cinema, television and even sports were banned. There were restrictions on clothes and on getting haircuts and keeping beards was compulsory. Minorities were persecuted. Their foreign policy had a one-point agenda, viz. hate America and its allies.

These extremists are determined to impose their writ in Afghanistan, Pakistan and, eventually, over the rest of the world. To do so, they have used the most barbaric methods: suicide bombings, beheadings, killing civilians in bazaars and namazis in mosques. They have destabilised Pakistan and hurt its economy. Many see Pakistan as a lawless country and some describe it as a failed state. But even worse is the damage done to the image of Islam. Muslims are viewed as terrorists, leading to visa restrictions and body searches. This is terrible injustice to a religion which stands for peace, tolerance and forgiveness.

How then do these extremists find so many apologists in Pakistan, who are not merely among the religious parties? There is no shortage of anchors in our media who deflect any criticism. Their first line of defence is denial. Every gruesome act by the religious fanatics is attributed to India, Israel, the US or the “agencies” of the Pakistan government. No evidence is put forward to substantiate these allegations which seem to be based on conjectures and innuendoes. Even when terrorists take responsibility the apologists claim that this must be disinformation. When all excuses fail to carry conviction, the argument is that the terrorism is a response to the evil deeds of America. For this purpose a relentless and largely fictitious propaganda is carried out to demonise America and paint it as the arch villain and enemy of Islam. The fact that the US has given more aid to Pakistan than any other country in the world and has held India back from military adventures against Pakistan – in the Kargil incident of 1999, after the attack on the Indian parliament in 2001, and the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 – means nothing to the anti-America lobby. They are bent on putting this country on a collision course with the US. The consequences this could have for Pakistan should be obvious to any rational observer.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 15th, 2010.

 

[Aslan]

@ sparklingway

Si ji yes there are problems. But dont u also agree that this mess is somewhat being contained now.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

I have a question for you and many of your friends, first let me start by saying thank you for posting that article, but seriously dont you guys have any thing else to do but to find articles that show us in bad light either intentionally or unintentionally, articles that are highlighting our problems? Good that you guys are so concerned about us. But when ever we see any thing about india its india booming, india this, india at the top of the world. Dont any thing go wrong in india at all. Or are you guys too busy finding articles about Pakistan that y'all forget to look at your own problems?

And just to clarify, as I might get accused for it I am not trying to troll, rather its a genuine query.

First of all, it is absolutely undeniable that many, many things are wrong in India. While India is undoubtedly doing well (as attested to by the Pakistani author himself) there is a long, long (can be repeated again) way to go forward. This piece of writing (as well as others) seem to be directed at Pakistani readers, definitely not at Indians to find fuel for Pakistan bashing. i sincerely hope that you can discern that. If you find that unacceptable; then we will end up with those old conspiracy theories, in which case all discussions must immediately cease.
Having said that, i find it interesting to read this only to the extent that it might help me to understand the reasons for some of the problems in Pakistan and the solutions that can be sought. If you disagree with that, its okay.
Another matter of interest to Indians is that we have to be wary of the same problems arising in India (there are enough already, new ones not desirable). These problems can have seriously debilitating effect; especially on the economy. All those nukes and jets are fine in their own place, but don't solve basic problems.
And, analysis and understanding some of the issues will help India in many ways; most of all either to validate some concepts and principles that India followed over the years or get ready to junk them if necessary.
Lastly, i'm sure that talking about my neighbour's problems will NOT evaporate my own- just that i might get smarter.

 

[deckingraj]

I have a question for you and many of your friends, first let me start by saying thank you for posting that article, but seriously dont you guys have any thing else to do but to find articles that show us in bad light either intentionally or unintentionally, articles that are highlighting our problems? Good that you guys are so concerned about us. But when ever we see any thing about india its india booming, india this, india at the top of the world. Dont any thing go wrong in india at all. Or are you guys too busy finding articles about Pakistan that y'all forget to look at your own problems?

And just to clarify, as I might get accused for it I am not trying to troll, rather its a genuine query.

No trolling here but a very genuine question...However are you in agreement with the article???

Typically we(people on opposite sides) have opposite views on many matters and whenever someone finds an article which converges with one'e view point especially if written acnowledged by a neutral party or person across the borders then such articles are posted...This is a common practice and is true across....so nothing specific to Indians/Pakistanis...

You might have seen many articles on number of Toilets in India...Child prostitution...Malnourishment...special size of condoms for Indians and list goes on....Similarly terrorism...ISI covert help...etc etc for Pakistan....

P.S : It never hurts to read other's point of view and it is all important if the person happens to be one among you....Critics always help you become a better/stronger person...

 

[sparklingway]

@ sparklingway

Si ji yes there are problems. But dont u also agree that this mess is somewhat being contained now.

No I won't. The apologists in the media are still as loud as they were. And even when people have the resolution to fight this war and the "not ours, this is US's war" slogans have died down, the "foreign hand" delusion is very crippling. People still do not want to believe that this is happening in the name of religion.

The population that is against the military operations has become smaller but the majority still do not believe that the TTP, LI and all other local terrorists are home bred and our own creation. Nobody rules out a limited support available to these terrorists from foreign intelligence agencies but you can clearly hear all day long people and anchors shouting RAW, MOSSAD, CIA blah blah and hardly do they focus on the need for tolerance. Messages of tolerance are written mostly in the English press and that has a very limited readership.

Anchors have just one thing to do. They shout their right wing delusions and make the guests fight with each other whilst becoming opinion makers in their own at the same time.

The masses will blame RAW as soon as there's an unfortunate incident. No evidence, no report, nothing, zilch ; it has to be RAW for TTP can't do it. Then comes TTP press release that they did it then it is that TTP is sponsored by RAW for TTP isn't a bunch of mad terrorists themselves.

 

[desiman]

No I won't. The apologists in the media are still as loud as they were. And even when people have the resolution to fight this war and the "not ours, this is US's war" slogans have died down, the "foreign hand" delusion is very crippling. People still do not want to believe that this is happening in the name of religion.

The population that is against the military operations has become smaller but the majority still do not believe that the TTP, LI and all other local terrorists are home bred and our own creation. Nobody rules out a limited support available to these terrorists from foreign intelligence agencies but you can clearly hear all day long people and anchors shouting RAW, MOSSAD, CIA blah blah and hardly do they focus on the need for tolerance. Messages of tolerance are written mostly in the English press and that has a very limited readership.

Anchors have just one thing to do. They shout their right wing delusions and make the guests fight with each other whilst becoming opinion makers in their own at the same time.

The masses will blame RAW as soon as there's an unfortunate incident. No evidence, no report, nothing, zilch ; it has to be RAW for TTP can't do it. Then comes TTP press release that they did it then it is that TTP is sponsored by RAW for TTP isn't a bunch of mad terrorists themselves.

seriously sparkling way you da man lol just amazing comments, wish there are a couple more people here like you

 

[sparklingway]

I have a question for you and many of your friends, first let me start by saying thank you for posting that article, but seriously dont you guys have any thing else to do but to find articles that show us in bad light either intentionally or unintentionally, articles that are highlighting our problems? Good that you guys are so concerned about us. But when ever we see any thing about india its india booming, india this, india at the top of the world. Dont any thing go wrong in india at all. Or are you guys too busy finding articles about Pakistan that y'all forget to look at your own problems?

And just to clarify, as I might get accused for it I am not trying to troll, rather its a genuine query.

You didn;t question me but I'll answer you the very same way the author writes. Pakistanis cry all the time about the "negative propaganda" as well.

Not much is really going our way. We face huge problems today and are at the heart of a war. There isn't really anything good to report everyday, there's a lot of bad stuff to report.

Meanwhile, people do have to write this and try to say it loud so that our future generations don't fall into the jihadist trap.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Decent article, but it simplifies much of the issues and generalizes too much.

Most Pakistanis were not out on the streets 'protesting facebook and cartoons', as usual the protesters were primarily the workers of certain political parties, primarily the religious ones.

Nor do most Pakistanis (anymore) support the TTP, though it is true that many think the US and India are supporting them. But on this count one also has to view what public opinion in the West is on who supports the Afghan Taliban. Many people in the West would blame Pakistan as being behind the Afghan taliban, and just a few days ago we saw an article published by a prestigious British academic institution that used absurd methodology to try and argue that Pakistan and its President were secretly colluding with the Taliban.

Articles and commentary like that, vilifying the 'foreigner', are commonplace in the West, much as similar commentary 'vilifying the foreigner' is common in Pakistan. Yes, the balance, in terms of the amount of such commentary and views, is probably on Pakistan's side, but we also have a much younger media, democratic institutions and lower literacy rates and lower access to a wider variety of sources.

So while the article serves a purpose in terms of being a 'shock tool' by using broad generalizations and worse case scenarios to try and make a point, and hopefully jar people into analyzing issues from a different perspective, it is not by any means an accurate or objective understanding of public opinion in Pakistan, and how that public opinion and public discourse is in many ways similar (though with the roles of villain and hero reversed) to the public opinion and discourse in Western nations, especially the US.

 

[Aslan]

@ Capt.Popeye
@ deckingraj

Well I dont agree to the article completely, when it says Pakistanis live in denial. Well not all of them, some do. And most of the people who do are following some party or other, which is keeping them uninformed because they want to make maximum gain out of the status quo.

 

[GUNNER]

Proud to be a Pakistani

By Basil Nabi Malik

June 13, 2010

The writer is a lawyer with Malik, Chaudhry, Ahmed and Siddiqi in Karachi (basil.nabi@tribune.com.pk)

I came across a small blog the other day in which a ‘social activist’ was asked to highlight five great things about Pakistan. The activist refused to do so, saying that he/she couldn’t think of one good thing to say about the country, nor would he/she lie for the sake of indulging the public. Now at the risk of sounding reactionary, I must say that I was surprised to read that response from an activist who apparently was trying to bring a positive change to the country. And clearly, I don’t agree.

Although we may have a lot to complain about, we certainly have things to celebrate, one of which is our youth. When the earthquake came to the North, I personally saw how the youth rose to the challenge and risked their lives, money and valuables to help Pakistanis in need. Students from ‘elitist’ universities were seen jostling up rugged terrains with a couple of bottles of water and a backpack full of relief goods, for the simple reason that this was the only method of reaching those inaccessible areas where trucks or helicopters could not reach. They did it at their own volition, and at the risk of their lives.

I have seen this youth take the politics of Pakistan in their hands and force it to bow to the will of the people. When the judiciary was attacked by a not so benevolent dictator, it was the youth amongst the lawyers and civil society who declared constitutionalism as their slogan and used all peaceful means to achieve their goals. And that too at a time when the political parties wouldn’t dare to openly oppose General Musharraf and frankly, couldn’t care less for the cause of the judiciary.

I have also seen students from impoverished backgrounds who end up in Harvard, Columbia and other Ivy League institutions through sheer determination and hard work. Their motivating factor was the ability to better the lives of their fellow countrymen on completing their education. And finally, I have also seen members of the youth dreaming of and planning to set up schools and universities in the rural areas of the country for the greater good of society, and in fact, many actually succeeded in building the same on a non-profit basis.
The point of stating all of this, and perhaps the obvious, is that not all is lost as some would have us believe. There are so many wrongs in this society, but clearly our older generation must have done something right to bring up a youth which has such ambitions considering the prevalent sense of hopelessness.

An incident that took place recently sums up the state of affairs as I see it. A friend had been thinking of how he could make a difference in this country. So one random day he gifted me a book titled Three Cups of Tea. The inspiring book is about the journey of Greg Mortenson who raises funds for and successfully establishes a network of schools across Gilgit-Baltistan through sheer perseverance and dedication. Although clearly moving, the real message for me was contained on its inside page, where the friend wrote a small message which said “Dear Basil, maybe this is the first step!” Well, my friend, if not the first step, it surely is a step in the right direction.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 14th, 2010.

 

[TruthSeeker]

And also to add to the article when ever the americans are done exploiting Pakistan, all kinds of sanctions are placed on us.

This sentence shows the heart of your denial. It is the USA's fault! Grow up. It isn't the USA's fault. It's the fault of the culture of Pakistan in all its many dysfunctions: religious leaders, political leaders, education system, yellow journalism media, ISI, PA, and the ignorant "Pakistani man in the street". The USA doesn't exploit Pakistan. It's the other way around. The USA gets nothing but grief from Pakistan. Pakistan and Iran are the twin bastions of terrorism in the world today. Iran because it likes it that way, Pakistan because it can't seem to govern its own territory.