Hydra headed monster
Asif Haroon Raja
While it is a fact that Pakistan was
created in the name of Islam, Pakistan’s leaders didn’t make it into an Islamic
state in true sense because of battle between the seculars and Islamists. For
all practical purposes, Pakistan has been administered on secular system while
Islam has remained in name only. Except for Gen Ziaul Haq, all our leaders were
endowed with secular bent of mind. The reason is that Pakistan’s parliamentary
system, law and system of justice, civil administration, police, military
training doctrines and banking system were inherited from the British and no
change has been brought in them. Most of our social customs have been adopted
from Hinduism because of centuries old association with the Hindus in united
India.
Various models of governance were tried in
Pakistan but Islamic system was never tested. All systems miserably failed to
alleviate the sufferings of the downtrodden. Gen Zia was close to introducing
Shariah but he died mysteriously in a plane crash. Nawaz Sharif during his
second stint in power tried to apply Shariah but he was prematurely booted out
by Gen Musharraf. Democracy was given a chance for full five years from 2008 to
March 2013, but it completely failed and disenchanted the people.
It is ironic that claiming to be Islamic
Republic of Pakistan, our leaders do not pickup heart to adopt the system
espoused by our Holy Prophet (pbuh) and his four Caliphs and instead ardently
cling to Westminster democracy which has failed to satisfy the people. This
unexplained reluctance is despite the fact that great majority in Pakistan
being conservative yearn for Shariah. Children of the underprivileged receive
education in Madrassahs where they learn Quran by heart. They become Hafiz in
tender age but their level of comprehension remains low because of lack of
education.
No leader tried to adopt the examples set
by Prophet Muhammad and his four caliphs. They do not realize that Prophet
Muhammad is a role model for entire humanity and what he taught more than 1400
years ago and what has been inscribed in the Holy Quran is valid today.
Powerful and weak were treated alike and justice and equality were his motto.
The concept of welfare state wherein woman was treated at par with man was
introduced by him for the first time. Slavery was abolished and security of
life and property of other faiths was granted. Capitalism was discouraged by
fair distribution of wealth thereby giving a deathblow to feudalism. National
economy was built by encouraging the people to focus on trade and agriculture.
Hazrat Abu Bakr, Hazrat Umar, Hazrat Usman
and Hazrat Ali followed suit and strengthened democratic institutions during
their respective tenures. Their entire efforts were directed towards the
welfare of the people. Hazrat Umar roamed the streets at night to see for
himself that people were sleeping comfortably and no one was hungry. Umar law
is currently in practice in Sweden. Unlike Zardari and his team who gobbled up
the wealth of the nation, Hazrat Usman donated all his wealth to the nation.
While Yusaf Raza Gilani prided in wearing different designers suits daily and
spending millions on daily expenses of PM House, Hazrat Ali lived in a cottage,
wore coarse clothes and earned his living by doing hard labor.
The pomp and show of our dirty rich elite
and their insensitivity to the plight of the poor deprived of decent living,
honor and dignity has given birth to religious extremism and terrorism espoused
by Taliban and other assorted groups. The have-nots feel that democracy and
system of justice practiced in Pakistan are anti-Islamic, pro-rich and legacies
of the British. The ones lording over them are seen as Brown Sahibs who have
replaced erstwhile Gora Sahibs. Having tested them for 65 years, the people are
now convinced that our leaders remain more concerned about keeping the west
pleased and in further enriching their coffers than attending to their
problems. They want a real change and not a cosmetic
change.
Notwithstanding the deleterious role of
foreign powers in destabilizing Pakistan through sabotage and subversion, we
cannot ignore the fact that perpetrators of the crimes are mostly Pakistanis,
whether driven by materialistic temptations or getting fed up with hypocrisy
and injustices of the elites. The rank and file of the so-called Islamic
oriented groups like TTP, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad
and other assorted groups is filled by the have-nots having nothing to lose.
These groups are involved in militancy and have extensively bloodied Pakistan.
Besides killing fellow Muslims insanely, they have not spared women and
children, mosques, religious tombs, places of immense historic significance
like Ziarat Residency, schools, mosques, funerals and markets. Almost 50,000
people have died at their hands and double the number injured with many
disabled for life. Among the victims of terrorism, many were lone bread earners
of large families.
Mindless violence and bloodbath is going
on for a decade with no letup and the perpetrators are justifying their wanton
acts on the plea of changing the secular system to Islamic system. In other
words, blood is being splurged in the name of Islam, as if Pakistan is being
ruled by infidels and the people are non-believers whose slaughter is
permissible. Militants are not prepared to ceasefire and shed off violence
despite the government offering peace talks to put an end to the war. They
continue to train teenage boys and even females as suicide bombers. More people
have got killed in suicide attacks than in drone strikes.
What is this kind of Islam which practices
violence and puts to swords all those who refuse to or are reluctant to abide
by the perverted form of Islam running contrary to Islam taught by our Holy
Prophet and inscribed in Holy Quran? Even forceful conversion of non-Muslims to
Muslims is not permitted in Islam what to talk of trying to Islamize a Muslim
through coercion. Instead of getting united to defeat the ulterior designs of
the enemies of Islam desecrating the image of Prophet Muhammad, undermining
Islam, slaughtering Muslims, stealing their resources and instigating them to
rebel against their governments, these champions of Islam have chosen to fight
and kill fellow Muslims whom they dub as hypocrites and bad Muslims. Allah
alone is the best judge and the top guide to show the righteous path to the
misled person. Preachers need to convince non-practicing Muslims to become
practicing Muslims by their deeds.
The people are feeling highly resentful
towards the politicians promising moon during election campaigns and then
turning into pharaohs after getting elected and treating them with disdain. It
pains them to see how their country blessed with all sorts of riches has been
reduced to a carcass and forced to seek alms from IMF, World Bank and USA. They
feel mortified seeing the dignity and honor of this proud nation rolling in
dust. Over 33% of the people living below poverty line failing to keep the body
and soul together keep dreaming about the golden era of Holy Prophet and Khulfa
Rashida. They fondly recall the exemplary rule of Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz
and wish for a similar Messiah.
Drowned in such fanciful dreams, anyone
raising the slogan of Islam appeals to their senses and they run towards him.
Handsome monthly salary, gun and adventure are other attractions which motivate
the youth from the poor class to join militant groups. Reportedly, the TTP is
sending young fighters from FATA to Karachi for adventure, rest and recreation.
The culture of militancy bred during the 1980s has grown into a hydra-headed
monster. Despite rolling down so many heads of the monster in the last ten
years, it keeps reproducing more heads.
Despite the change of government and offer
of talks, the monster’s thirst for bloodletting remains unquenched. This
hydra-headed monster can stop growing heads and can be got rid of if the new
recruits can be weaned away from militancy towards constructive channels. This
is possible only if the new government and the elite class change their
lifestyle, become poor-friendly, make the powerful accountable, improve legal
system to provide cheap and speedy justice to all, refine patwari and police
culture, radically improve the economics and make Pakistan stand on its own
legs, remove socio-economic deprivations of the neglected regions, create job
opportunities, remove the imbalance between Madrassa and school by
bringing uniformity in syllabus and spread education at a mass scale,
popularize cultural programs through media and stage to raise level of
motivation and nationalism, involve the youth in healthy programs, and last but
not least, charter independent foreign policy. Economy will start reviving once
Pakistan detaches itself from war on terror.
Third-time elected Nawaz Sharif stands on
the crossroad of democracy and chaos. If he wants to save democracy and prevent
civil war or martial law, he and his team will have to work with full
commitment, sincerity and honesty of purpose and bring a real change in the
lives of the downtrodden. Bearing in mind his determination, he must be given
full chance to prove his worth.
The writer is a retired Brig, a defence analyst
and a freelance columnist. asifharoonraja@gmail.com
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