THE PLIGHT OF PAKISTAN-1

At last Joe Biden, the Vice President of the US has publicly described Pakistan a “badly fractured country”. He was referring to what Pakistan has become today. Who wields the political power in Pakistan today is anybodies guess. Whoever it is, it is clear that they have no idea as to how to steer the country out of anarchy. The state has not been able to contain the bomb explosions and the suicide attacks that has become almost the order of the day. The army seems to be waiting for a chance to take over the country again.
Indeed when Nawas Sherif and Asif Ali Zardari joined hands to overthrow Musharraf they had nothing in common except their hatred for the military ruler. Indeed it raised the expectations of the people. Once they dethroned Musharraf, differences surfaced one by one. Once Zardari became the President, he began to ignore, at times to snub Sheriff. At last Sheriff pulled out of the coalition and took the fight to the streets. The army served a warning and advised Zardari to come to terms with Sherif. America also exerted pressure on Pakistan to accommodate Sheriff. Finally Zardari reinstated Ifthikar Chaudhry the former Supreme Court judge as demanded by Sherif. By that time the damage had been done. However a temporary truce came into effect. But things have not improved much after that. There has been no let up in the explosions and suicide attacks. The ‘peace accord’ the Pakistan government signed with the Taliban betrays the inability or lack of will on the part of the Pakistan government.
Instead of taking steps to deal with the deteriorating situation, Pakistan has been blaming its neighbours, especially India for the chaos. Last week Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, America, asked the Pakistan government to take stern action against the Taliban elements in its soil. She also said that the US is aware of the lack of will on the part of the Pakistanis to act against Taliban. By signing a peace accord with the Taliban, to bring peace to the Swat Valley, the Pakistan government legitimized the Taliban. However under pressure from Obama the Pak authorities launched a heavy attack on the Taliban which on its part declared that the peace accord was no more valid.
And Taliban on its part has introduced its version of Sharia in the region. Women and girls have been ordered to stay in and not to venture out. Many shops especially music shops that Taliban think ‘unislamic’ have been shut down. Girls are not allowed to attend schools. They have also destroyed many schools in the valley. They do not allow women to go out even to buy provisions.
What has happened to Pakistan? Jinnah, the father of Pakistan, had stated in the Constituent Assembly “It (religion) has nothing to with the business of the state…. There is no discrimination, no distinction between one community and another. We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens and equal citizens of one State”. He claimed “you will find that in course of time Hindus will cease to be Hindus and Muslims will cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual but in the political sense as the citizens of the nation”. However it must be kept in mind what the same Jinnah, had said before the creation of Pakistan, to a journalist who asked him what was the basic principles of the State of Pakistan, He said “In five words”: ‘the Muslims are a nation’”. Elaborating the principles he said “Islam is not merely a religious doctrine but a realistic and practical code of conduct. I am thinking in terms of life, of everything important in life”. In spite of Jinnah’s comment, the Constituent Assembly stated “the Muslims shall be enabled to order their lives in the individual and collective spheres in accord with the teachings and requirements of Islam as set out in the Holy Quran and the Sunna”. And the country was named, Islamabad.
With the arrival of, Zia ul-Haq, things took a serious turn. To keep the political power and keep Benazir Bhutto at bay General Zia embarked on a mission to Islamise Pakistan. It did not stop with the death of the General. That landed the country where it is today.
If Pakistan wants stability it must give up its enmity towards India and define it’s identity in positive terms. What is needed is as they say a change of attitude. As Biden, an authority on Pakistan said, “There’s got be an overall culturally difficult thing to happen, a realisation that India is not the enemy. It is FATA, it’s Baitullah Mehsud, it’s the al-Qaeda influence, it’s the Taliban,”
Do the authorities in Pakistan hear this?