Page 2 of 2 THE FIGHT FOR PAKISTAN'S POLITICAL
SOUL, Part 1
Deal with militants emboldens opposition
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
Tribal Areas] work under the president of Pakistan and the governor. It is
beyond the government's writ. So please don't compare those areas with urban
centers.
ATol: What do you think the impact of the Swat peace agreement
will be on other urban centers of the country?
GA: Let this peace agreement be a success. This is an agreement
with [cleric] Sufi Mohammad. Now there is a process of negotiations with the
Taliban. So the talks have not been concluded yet. Neither has any draft of an
agreement come out in public. When things come out in black in white, then we
shall see
how those things are implemented. However, there is one fact that people are
happy about, and that is that military operations are over and life has come
back to normal.
ATol: The West sees this as Pakistan's surrender to militants.
There is a perception that Islamic parties may gain from this situation and use
it in other places for their popularity.
GA: I think the West is against Islam and Muslim countries.
Pakistan has been an ally of the United States since the Liaquat Ali Khan
period [the first prime minister of the country from 1947-1951]. He refused the
USSR's invitation and accepted an American invitation for his first visit
[abroad]. Since then, all governments have insisted on better relations with
the United States.
But on the other hand, see how the Americans behave with us. Even their help
always comes with strings. The "war on terror" is a case in point. I fail to
understand what the definition of terrorism is. To me, terrorism is all about
killing innocent people. I asked America and the West when they invaded
Afghanistan [in 2001], did they have any proof that the [September 11]
attackers belonged to Afghanistan. To date, nobody knows who was actually
responsible for that attack.
They attacked Afghanistan and forced Pakistan to support the war. Musharraf was
the president and he was forced to provide logistical support. American
aircraft flew from Pakistani bases and bombed Afghanistan. In that process,
they destroyed the whole of Afghanistan.
The same happened in Iraq concerning WMD [weapons of mass destruction] and now
they admit that it was wrong information, but on wrong intelligence they
massacred millions of innocents. Is this not Western terrorism? Why does the
West not question itself, that if they are powerful and they possess superior
weaponry, does it mean that they can kill innocent human beings?
Now, after so much friendship, Pakistan is in the line of fire. Let us see how
the new American administration frames its policies. As far as we are
concerned, we don't want any hostilities with America and the West, but the
fact of the matter is that they have never recognized the existence of Muslim
countries on the political map of the world.
ATol: How do you assess the performance of the present
government? It is said that the West set up the coalition of secular and
liberal parties to provide popular support to the "war on terror". What is your
opinion?
GA: No political party could get a decisive majority in
parliament [in the February 2008 elections]. The ruling PPP has about 30% of
the seats. After the elections, two majority parties emerged in parliament -
the Pakistan People's Party and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz group [PML-N]. The
Pakistan Muslim League, whether you call it liberal or whatever, is the party
which laid the foundation of this country on Islamic ideology.
These parties developed differences over the restoration of the chief justice.
Therefore, the PML-N separated from the government and the government forged
alliances with several smaller parties, and it is a very weak government.
I think the PPP government has made some very wrong decisions and it has
antagonized the PML-N not only politically, but it is wrong in principle. The
slain [former premier] Ms [Benazir] Bhutto had an agreement with the PML-N to
restore the judges, so this is binding on the present government.
Even [President] Asif Zardari had announced that his government would restore
the chief justice, but now he is pulling out of this. These factors caused
disillusionment within the coalition government and forced the PML-N to resign,
which weakened the government.
This apart, there are other factions which caused political disillusionment in
this government. For instance, it deviated from its slogans of empowering
parliament. Instead, Asif Zardari has retained all the powers as president that
Musharraf acquired through the 17th amendment to the constitution. People
wanted change after Musharraf. Unfortunately, that change could not happen in
the system. Only faces were changed.
At the same time, due to his personal agendas, Zardari is also kicking out the
old party leaders who were close to Ms Bhutto. Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan's
membership in the central committee of the party has been suspended. Safdar
Abbasi, Naheed Khan [political secretary of Ms Bhutto] are a few who have been
practically separated from the PPP. All the new men around the government are
Asif Zardari's personal friends, like Rahman Malik [a senator and powerful
advisor on interior affairs].
ATol: This government is hardly one year old. There was a
perception after the last elections that everything would be dealt with through
parliament. But now from next month street protests are planned by the lawyers'
movement and they are supported by the opposition parties. A sit-in is also
planned in Islamabad. Don't you think this will destabilize the elected
political setup?
GA: If you review the situation, you will find that the
government did not fulfill any of its promises. A resolution was presented in
the joint session of parliament and presented by the government [for the
restoration of the judiciary]. It should have been very significant, but the
government only formed a committee and then set aside the whole issue. What
choice is there but street protests?
ATol: Can't you reprimand the government within parliament?
GA: Parliament appears as a rubber stamp.
ATol: Then why not try for a change of government through
parliament?
GA: Nobody had a decisive majority but the government charmed
smaller parties by giving them ministerial portfolios, so change is not
possible through parliament.
ATol: Is it not unfortunate for this country that when an elected
government is in place, politicians practice street politics and then allow the
military establishment a chance to intervene?
GA: Street politics has always been a compulsion. Look at this
lawyers' movement. This is not a new movement. It started on March 9 [2007]
when the chief justice was made non-functional by then-president Musharraf.
Since March 9, not a single glass has been smashed during rallies. There have
been huge rallies, long marches, but you cannot cite me a single example of
violence.
ATol: I beg to differ. In 1977 there was a huge opposition
movement on the streets against the then Pakistan People's Party government led
by Z A Bhutto. You were one of the main leaders of the movement and finally
part of a team which held negotiations with the government. You documented the
facts in your book that because of the agitation movement, the army got the
chance to intervene, although the government and opposition had finalized a
draft agreement. [Zia ul-Haq later imposed martial law and ruled for 11 years].
GA: You should read my book with concentration. I clearly
mentioned that Bhutto made a blunder by after finalizing the terms of an
agreement he did not sign the draft agreement. I was part of a three-member
opposition committee holding the talks. I had warned Mr Bhutto that when he
already had an agreement on everything, he should not delay in signing the
documents [for the sake of proof-reading], otherwise martial law would be
imposed. The army was looking for a chance.
They had already approached us. They were fully informed about the talks and
contents and they tried to manipulate us as well. I personally explained this
situation to Bhutto, that the military was looking for a chance to topple the
government, so please take urgent steps. Although after the fall of East
Pakistan [in 1971] and the humiliation they faced, we never expected that the
army would fall into any more adventurism, such as imposing martial law, but
this lust of power is very bad thing.
ATol: This is precisely my point. The military always looks for
nuisances so unrest will spread, then they can conspire to take power. Don't
you think once again that with the long march you will give the military a
golden chance to exploit?
GA: I am emphasizing the same point. In 1977, the PPP government
made a dire mistake which cost the country with martial law, and once again, if
they don't comply with their promises, what chance does it leave for the people
except street protests? Now the point is, are people wrong? Is not this the
same demand, even put by Ms Benazir Bhutto, to restore the judiciary? Even
Zardari committed to the same. So much so that a written agreement was signed,
and then Zardari publicly said that the written agreement was not the Koran or
the sayings of the Prophet Mohammad, which cannot be changed. So after such
behavior, it is the government which needs to assess the consequences.
ATol: What is your choice. A bad democracy or good martial law?
GA: Martial law can never be good. Democracy has always been a
choice. We don't want to abandon the government. It is neither against the
government, parliament nor against Asif Zardari. It is just about the
fulfillment of the promises this government made.
ATol: Are Islamic laws implemented through the barrel of a gun
acceptable to you?
GA: Islamic laws are always enforced through the will of the
people. You have to appreciate this fact, that the particular situation in Swat
is the result of a vacuum because from 1926 to 1969 Islamic laws were enforced
in Swat. After the merger of Swat into the state of Pakistan, the laws were
changed, which resulted in a vacuum. This is Western propaganda, that Islam was
spread through the sword. In fact, Islam has always been oppressed. There are
56 Muslim countries at the moment, all of them are oppressed, all are victims
of Western oppressions.
NEXT: Crucial choices for the Jamaat-i-Islami.
Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief. He can
be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com
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