End of an ideology, end of a dream?
Ali Ashraf Khan
After 62 years of trial and error our rulers have finally compromised in
mortgaging the country to the lowest bidder who for > their own reasons
happens to be the US. We read in an Urdu newspaper recently that > US
goras are driving rowdy-like in the capital of Pakistan and threaten
Pakistani citizens with dire consequences; this is the first glimpse of
the infamous additional non-military aid to our country voted for by
this government who have consented without realizing its consequences to
the country. This unfortunate Kerry-Lugar bill was tabled after more
then 9 months before the Senate with many stringent conditions attached
to it, which was passed by the US Senate at a time when President
Zardari arrived in the US to project it as an extra achievement. We have
not forgotten the earlier visit of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani to
the US in February-March 2009 when the Biden-Lugar bill was unanimously
passed by the Foreign Relations Committee of US Senate in July 2008, at
the time of Mr.Gillani official visit to US it was described as
heralding a new era in bilateral relations and the bill was dubbed as
the boosting of ties with Pakistan. As per statement of Pakistan’s
ambassador in Washington the previous Congress could not find time to
pass this bill in 2008 and he hoped that this new bill will be adopted
in a few days time now so that honey and milk promised since 9/11 to
Pakistan starts flowing in our rivers.
Whatever may be the reason for urgency to pass this bill - the fact
remains that United States keeps shifting its policy according to the
need of time and it was clear that the US administration was not
treating it a priority legislation due to their own vested interests in
the region, while our leaders are now owning their proxy war as ours in
a hope to get this aid, people at large are not interested in any aid or
extension of friendship, in compromising their sovereignty even despite
the financial woes of Pakistan, which the American want to avail on
their own requirements and agenda. By doing so they have given Pakistan
the final death knell by mortgaging the country and its sovereignty out
to the US who already behave as if they were at home: they bomb us when
they feel like, they rowdy in our streets, they schoolmaster us with
their never-ending wisdom and they tell us what to do when to do it and
how. In fact this aid package is to change our culture and traditions
they do not realize that the civilizations are not changed with dollar.
What is left to serve the country?
The current Pakistani government has perhaps built its political
fortunes upon aid money promised to flow into the country generously
from the US and other “friends” of Pakistan, the way it had been more or
less- under the previous government of Gen. Musharraf. Mr. Zardari and
his PPP thought that they deserve it so much because they have made all
deals with US by pushing them into, they have provided them access to
Pakistan for drone attacks without even the formality of protest, for
Blackwater and hundreds of US marines and have faithfully played the
genuine democracy election- game according to the rules put up by the
West. President Zardari now feels that he has done all he could and
wants his rewards: 100 billion of rupees in aid or grant not loan of
course, which has surprised the West, this amount he needs because that
is the money he has to invest into buying the loyalty of his own
ministers and those of the coalition partners and sometimes even of the
opposition who continue to play along with him. There was never any
explanation from his side why 100 billion and not 120 or 80 billions be
given to him, what are the resorts that are going to be given the money
for which projects because that is the amount, which is for the greasing
of the machinery to keep it running. The consequence of this sell-out
will be the end of Pakistan as a sovereign state. But ignoring this
consequence has never undone it. And even Transperancy International is
rightly bashing Pakistan. With the NRO in place corruption has risen in
this country, because there is no check on it any more. The NAB of Gen.
Musharraf which was not doing across the board accountability, but was
involved in selective accountability on the side lines of plea bargain
gimmick, was at least doing something.The new govrnment has made the NAB
inactive and has no replacement for it even just to keep the look of
accountability. That is why Mr. Zardari was left to leave with empty
hands by his “friends” of Pakistan forum. From their point of view this
is very understandable. The economic crisis is on and they just had to
bail out their banks and insurance companies by giving taxpayers money
but that is different, it is to save their own skin. And even then we
expect help from the famous ËœFriends of democratic Pakistan forum who
are nothing but second fiddlers to US agenda.
When will our leaders finally learn that there is no friendship in
international affairs; there are national or regional interests at best,
nothing more then that! That is exactly what the recent meeting of the
Ëœfriends of Pakistan forum has proven again: not a single penny for
Pakistan because there is nothing like friendship in that realm. Tell us
exactly where the money will go, how the spending will be controlled and
how you will pay back or what we get in exchange. That is the way it
works, we have given all top positions in financial sector to American
trained bankers, who must be doing their jobs well. If we had a proper
government they would know that this is not in our national interest.
What can be done? Is there any saviour of the nation in sight who can
bail us out from this mess? Many years ago in France when the country at
was at stake and almost 80% territory was taken over by the enemy a
young girl by the name of Jeanne was born in 1412 at Domremy in
Champagne she claimed to receive divine messages to help the king to
liberate France from its enemies the Burgundians in alliance with the
English,. At the age of 13 she was offering her sacrifice to liberate
her country. The King allowed her to train her force and she was
fighting and defeating the enemy and restored her country almost
completely and the King of France was again crowned as King by the
Vatican. At that point she was told to finish her mission and return to
her normal life by providence but the King wanted her to liberate the
remaining area also, so she was wounded and fell into the hands of the
enemy in the last battle. On 29 May a court of thirty-seven judges
decided unanimously that the Maid must be treated as a relapsed heretic,
and this sentence to burn her alive was actually carried out the next
day (30 May, 1431). Some 480 years later her sacrifice was acknowledged
by the church and St. Joan was canonized in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV .by
declaring her a saint.
Unfortunately, those times seem to be gone when saviours were available.
Today it seems there is no such choice available to us and the only
fighters we have are the brave people in FATA and other areas, who
wrongly dubbed as Talibans. Let FATA and tribal area be governed under
their tribal jirga system, peace will return soon. Forget about American
aid and dollars package this is the biggest curse, which now is designed
to be roped throw IMF-World Bank sponsored Trust Fund, which will turn
the situation more volatile in the days to come because of vested
interest of donors. The idea of creation of a trust has been inspired by
those people who had earlier faced a humiliating defeat from brave
Pathans fighters.
Lord Macaulay is said to have written in a bid to saving their face
described the characteristic of people of this area in his book that to
establish your own rule Salute the Baluchi, Bribe the Pathan and Beat
the Punjabi My belief is that any such American dreams will also remain
a dream un-fulfilled and fears of President Obama of losing the war
without whole hearted Allied support in Afghanistan will prove as be
True.Then why our rulers are shy in not declaring Pakistan’s National
Interest without linking to any foreign aid package and then adhere to
that Strategy whole heartedly. Pakistan will regain its lost ideology. |
