My article: For whom the bell tolls

I dont know how much my readers/visitors have been keeping up with their current affairs and general knowledge, but Pakistan is in dire straits these days because of a blunder on a grand scale committed by our very "moderately enlightened" President, General Pervez Musharraf. He sacked the country's Chief Justice and didnt defer to any higher authority or rule of law while doing so, naturally causing an uproar in the country's legal community, which has now spread to every corner. All are asking for his resignation.

The question then becomes, how many of us here in the West are cognizant of what's going on in Pakistan, a key "ally" of the U.S.? The fact of the matter is, the mass media has yet again proven that it is unreliable and so we are compelled to go to alternative sources for our information. Thank God!

Copied below is an article I wrote for my column, published last week. Apologies for the delay in posting this, but I look forward to comments.

For whom the bell tolls

It was the fall of 1999 when General Pervez Musharraf took the reins of government in Pakistan after a bloodless coup. I was at a friend’s place and as I was leaving, his mother informed us of this tragic change in the country’s political climate. She was worried and sullen and I decided it was in my best interest to head straight home, lest I should worry my family.

At that point, and in the following days – which I frankly cannot remember – we did not see many changes. Same politics, different day. We embraced it and hoped Musharraf’s liberal reform agenda would work wonders. Who were we kidding?

Now over seven years later, we have a competitive economy, a vibrant media, and at least more prosperity than under the Bhutto and Sharif regimes in the 1990s. But it was not until the sacking of Chief Justice Chaudhry that it all hit home for me: this was all an illusion; an army general will always remain a general. His place is on the country’s border. His job? To protect. Not to govern civil society.

When I found out about the public outcry over the way CJ Chaudhry was dismissed, my heart yearned to be with my countrymen. For once, the people who I least expected to take to the streets – were actually first to be seen on them. For once, our civil society could boast of a peaceful protest. I was going to say bloodless, but then I recalled the images of the dozens who were beaten for defending the rule of law, for defending the interests of the masses, for keeping the layman in mind when they fought for that which was taken from them: justice.

Today, Musharraf’s empire is slowly crumbling, eroding at the peripheries, and we all know that what erodes from the borders, slowly but steadily makes its way to the centre. Is this the start of a revolution? God knows we do not need one of those! But I do sincerely hope, for our people’s sake, that change does come. Just like Muslims need reform – not the religion, but those who interpret it – this process must begin from the inside and must remain true to the cause. Collective action must not turn into personal struggle. The struggle will always be one.

In the process, though, I fear that my greatest fear will see its realisation: that Pakistanis will lose heart if they do not see their desired needs met and requirements fulfilled. I hope through this column I can explain to them, that they have already proved whatever they needed to prove, that their voices have come out strong and resilient and that they will not live in fear anymore.

GEO TV’s station may have been vandalised and almost destroyed, but Pakistanis are smart enough to know that intimidation is the first of many tactics a state employs to silence and repress its public. Years ago it happened to Najam Sethi of The Friday Times, and today it happens under Musharraf. He will not remain king forever, but when the next one comes around, we must remain bonded and hold our heads high.

Musharraf wanted so badly that his countrymen adopt the idea of “enlightened moderation”. Today, many more have instead become entranced by violent fanaticism, while many more never even paid heed to his theories to begin with. He was a good talker, but those who talk the talk, do not always walk the walk. Musharraf’s gait should now show us a hint of hesitance and tremor, instead of the arrogance we are accustomed to seeing. He has shaken our world for too long; soon, the quaking will stop.

I can see it in the twinkle of a young child’s eye.

“Hum dekhain gay…Laazim hai ke hum bhi dekhain gay…Woh din ke jis ka waadah hai…Jo Loh-e-Azl pe likha hai…Hum dekhain gay” (We shall see…It is necessary that we shall also see…That day which has been promised…Which is written with God’s ink…We shall see) – Poetry by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, translation by Ayesha Kaljuvee.