Mr Ahmed Rashids assertion in Lament for a troubled Pakistan published on January 23, 2011, that present day Pakistan resembles pre-Islamic revolution Iran begs a fundamental question: Are we Iran yet? Imagine Abid Hassan Manto, a committed and staunch socialist marching hand in hand on Mall Road with Sarwat Qadri of Sunni Tehreek, chanting slogans against the present political dispensation.
If you cant imagine that, then we are not there yet. In prelude to the Islamic revolution, political forces irrespective of their ideologies and bad blood came together and formed a common alliance based on a single point; ouster of the Shah. The Iranian communist party, Tudeh Party, stood alongside the religious right in welcoming the Ayatollah Khomeini on the eve of the revolution.
While Mr Rashid asserts that our religious right calls for the change of government, it is crucial to remember that ouster of the Shah was not just the change in government but change of system designed primarily to serve the interest of the Pehlavi dynasty. In Iran, the revolution marked the end of monarchy through democratic forces, no matter how undemocratic in their political orientation, in which the people of Iran participated en masse. In Pakistan, while the moderates stay silent, it is also unimaginable to see them coming out en masse alongside the religious right against the government. Wearing of the hijab even by the modern educated urban middle class of Iran symbolized the hatred of the Shahs regime. Hijab itself became a symbol of resistance. I may not walk alongside Sarwat Qadri simply because I am not Sunni. This was not the case in Iran as it is a Shia Muslim country.
In short, the combined opposition and its agenda had deep popularity and acceptance amongst the Iranian masses, but there is no such public acceptance in Pakistan vis–vis the religious right and its agenda. So no, we arent Iran yet!
TAIMOOR ASHRAF
Lahore