Not another feudal enclave

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PTI, sajjada nashins and lotas

Well, what could be nicer than the news of Javed Hashmi joining the PTI? It appears to have tried, but the PML(N) leadership was unable to lure him back into a rapidly sinking ship. Yes, the PML(N) is definitely sinking, and like a couple of desperate housewives the brothers Sharif have witnessed texts in the city from the chief of the Tehreek-e-Insaaf to the cell phones of an avid electorate, inviting them to join the PTI rally in Karachi. That rally turned out to be a resounding success. Now let’s see how many of his promises Mr Khan is able to honour. If he can manage to ‘keep (even one of) the *&^%$!@# honest’, he will have earned his keep.

Years of imprisonment and a stroke could not prevent Mr Hashmi becoming a much respected “political scientist, geo-strategist and a statesman” or “one of the most vocal critics of General Pervez Musharraf’s military regime (who) openly criticised General Musharraf’s treatment of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, and his policy on the war on terror.” He will be a valuable addition and an asset to a party on the scramble for stalwarts. Mr Hashmi’s inclusion might go some way towards righting the balance for a party that is threatening, but not sure, to become another feudal enclave what with the inclusion of stray sajjada nashins and other lotas.

The PTI is now pretty sure to be the major opposition to a government that will almost certainly still be an amalgam of the PPP and MQM, plus whoever else joins the circus – who knows, perhaps even the eternally miffed PML(N)? It will be interesting to see Imran’s choice of some of those shadowy persons in opposition parties who say “Yo!” and rise purposefully when the man calls “Minister for Defence?” or “Foreign Minister?”

On quite another positive front was news of the rescue of 45 students discovered chained in the basement of a madrassah in Karachi’s infamous Sohrab Goth. The news was lost somewhere between the Memogate and the political maneuverings that monopolise media attention in this country. The wonderful fact of these kids, most of whom aged around 20, being found and set free definitely deserves a resounding hurrah.

A police official involved in the operation said that “The madrassah officials claim that they had chained those students because they were drug addicts and they wanted to rehabilitate them and make them better Muslims.”

Yay for madrassah wisdom and logic! Way to make good Muslims and cure junkies. While you’re at it, drag them into the fold in chains, club them on their heads and get them to detox. Zia-ul-Haq did not die in an air crash; he parachuted straight into Sohrab Goth where he landed bang on top of Jimmy Hendrix and gave birth to a litter of suicide bombers to each of whom he bequeathed an exploding mango with the instructions to go forth and detonate.

Please, Pakistan Police, check all madrassahs and all remote buildings and make sure that their basements are free of our precious children. And thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

We may be happy to see the last of this government, but we’d much rather it was sent on its way under circumstances other than yet another military ouster. The mind boggles at the prospect of going through the whole coup process once more, of yet another bimbo in khaki with political aspirations hogging the airwaves again.

Definitely Imran Khan will be a welcome change with Hashmi to give him direction, if he can sort the wheat from the chaff entering his party. Here is a man with some integrity who is worried about his ‘kursi’, true, but mostly that he could have ended up paying for them all if they had been stolen in bulk by the Quaid’s children after the PTI’s rally at the Quaid’s mazaar on Sunday.

If the army is so keen to safeguard the nation and ‘support the democratic process in the country’, it should guard the chairs at such free and democratic political rallies so that politicians can indulge their penchant for making rash promises in peace. We can then hang them at leisure if they fail to keep them.

20 COMMENTS

  1. i loved the rest of your views but if I may say your last paragraph is just pathetic, stupid and immature !!! but still it was a good read !

  2. The nature of our politics is such that everyone toes the leadership of whatever type emerges. Not many like Javed Hashmi would have enough calcium in their bones to stand up to their leadership. Even Hashmi had to bear out a conceited leadership for several years before he took a decisive decision .. we should rest assured that all these sajjada nasheens and lotas will ultimately follow whatever broad lines of policy and governance Imran would set out for them.

  3. Rabia Ahmad has pointed out the problems of Pakistani politicians. One thing that an elected politician assumes is that he is free to act as he wills because public has mandated him to do all legal and illegal acts. What a mind set? No one should question him and those who dare question him are traitors and deserve punishment.. All promises he made before election are null and void and were only political ploy.

    For the first time in the history of Pakistan Mr Imran khan has challenged the established political thinking of Pakistani politics. Looking at the past one sees that it was just a battle of muscles. The powerful grabbed the chair and sycophants gathered around him and enjoyed the feast of meager resources. When the hold was weakened, the musical chair was grabbed by another equally inept and corrupt individual. There was no a accountability for the damage they had caused to the political process . Although Bhutto infused a sense of awareness for the rights of common man under the slogan of ROTI, KAPRA and MAKAN but miserably failed to tell them about their responsibilities. He duped the public with untenable promises and ascended the peacock thrown through their support. The rest is just a history of comedy of manners. No one has the right to question him because he was an elected prime minister ( a Muslim trait or mindset I alluded in the beginning). Public had mandated him to misbehave and do whatever he pleases ( messing up education system, fiscal institutions, insulting his colleagues and ordering killing of his distracters). Every leader assumed that he is the surgeon who can operate the ailing body but added more infection to prospective patient. This is our history- period.

    I quote an American poet Emily Dickinson poet for our leaders: "Surgeons must be very careful"

    Surgeons must be very careful,
    When they take the knife!
    Underneath their fine incisions
    Stirs the culprit—Life!:

  4. being feudal is not an abuse ..!! A person with great thought and brilliant deeds can be born to great families also… !! What non sense is this becoming ?? Is this country not ready to provide honour and dignity to the rich and the honourable family lines ?? only the poor, peasants and the beggars ??? What's wrong with our single track politicians not ready for their tolerance levels ??? poor mentality. This country is not for one society.. Tolerate the great families also.. If you don't have the rich then you leave the society really poor… Let the rich ppl breathe too… for God's sakes. (Everyone is going for a cheap publicity now)

  5. I don't make sense of the last paragraph that doesn't fit well with the context. I think she couldn't make point of herself. Any confusion bibi???

  6. with a single exception of hashmi,rest of the polit'nz are just trying to regroup under the banner of pti. ,PTI seems to me a sacred ganga for them as if they dived into it,they wud come out white,with their failures nd sins washed off.. lets wait n see.

  7. Em. It might have been a good read but I certainly don't agree to you on any point.

    One; talking of lotas, can you name one lota who joined PTI?
    Two; just after one feudal joins the party, can you say it categorically that the entire party is threatened to be a feudal party?
    Three; the madrassah incident and such incidents happen quite often these days so why balme it on the dog (PTI). I obviously think it should have been dealt with very seriously but this incident getting aside has nothing to do with Imran khan since he ain't an NGO employee or something he's a politician, Come on!
    Four; Are you really sure of your public seeking for a democratic government? I'd advice you to go out and conduct a survey first.
    Five; Hey hey hey! whats with continuous targeting of army in your writing? Are you really serious when you call army, the country's defence force, to be responsible for stealing of chairs? LIKE SERIOUSLY DUDE??!!

  8. Feudalism is mindset not property. I know in Karachi there are many middle class feudals who by force close the markets if something not according to them, this mindset is called feudalism.

  9. Just out of curiosity, it would be interesting to know if the author has written a separate piece on the madrassah victims. If not, then it is quite ironic how the author has mimicked the very issue she is so perturbed about, by burying the news of the children's rescue within an article on the flashy politics of Pakistan.

  10. before understand estimating PML-N was should look at the history when 80% of PML-N was turned to be PML-Q yet PML-N survived. We have to admit it Nawaz Sharif has lots of votes and a have a very strong party. PTI yet is infant and joined by those who had no future in any other party (excluding Javed Hashmi who said Nawaz Sharif didnt try to stop him otherwise he would not joined PTI). Yes PTI can take many votes but it still long time to go to have elections and you never know sooner or later Lotas will spin again.

  11. http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/9562/dear-imran… "My advice to the Kaptaan’s supporters – dote less and question more, feel less and think more, demand a detailed manifesto, policy specifics, and democratic party infrastructure. If Khan were assassinated tomorrow, would you vote for a PTI led by Shah Mahmood Qureshi? If not, then Imran Khan has fashioned a personal cult and not a genuine political movement." (This is from a blog in the Express Tribune. I thought it was an apt response to all the comments above): Rabia. (and thank you 🙂

    • Who do you think is a better option in comparison to Khan at this point of time? Just a casual question. And btw, who do you think has ever had this manifesto, agenda, policy specifics and all the same sophisticated demands put forth by you or is it so that you see Khan as an angel coming straight from heavens to fix things up. He is at least capable of portraying Pakistan in a better way than Mr. 10% cum 110% and trust me, if we think of contingency planning in case someone dies, our today would be screwed!!

  12. http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/9562/dear-imran… "My advice to the Kaptaan’s supporters – dote less and question more, feel less and think more, demand a detailed manifesto, policy specifics, and democratic party infrastructure. If Khan were assassinated tomorrow, would you vote for a PTI led by Shah Mahmood Qureshi? If not, then Imran Khan has fashioned a personal cult and not a genuine political movement." (This is from a blog in the Express Tribune. I thought it was an apt response to all the comments above): Rabia. (and thank you 🙂

  13. Em. It might have been a good read but I certainly don't agree to you on any point.

    One; talking of lotas, can you name one lota who joined PTI?
    Two; just after one feudal joins the party, can you say it categorically that the entire party is threatened to be a feudal party?
    Three; the madrassah incident and such incidents happen quite often these days so why balme it on the dog (PTI). I obviously think it should have been dealt with very seriously but this incident getting aside has nothing to do with Imran khan since he ain't an NGO employee or something he's a politician, Come on!
    Four; Are you really sure of your public seeking for a democratic government? I'd advice you to go out and conduct a survey first.
    Five; Hey hey hey! whats with continuous targeting of army in your writing? Are you really serious when you call army, the country's defence force, to be responsible for stealing of chairs? LIKE SERIOUSLY DUDE??!!

Comments are closed.