This is why America is great and Pakistan isn't.
24 November, 2006
By Ahmer Muzammil
Common sense eventually prevails in America as it's evident from the mid-term elections while in the motherland it's an extinct commodity. In one word the reason is "Democracy". I know it's a cliche beyond sense but at the core level, that's the bona fide difference. Our minds have been corrupted with disinformation because the military-mafia is a skillful master of rhetoric. So the mantra of corrupt politicians and incapability of civil society is highlighted in an uncanny manner, paving the way for the argument of ultimate intellect, unquestionable and un-matched patriotism and supreme gene-pool of the "Men at their best, Pakistan Army". So once this preeminence is established that these "Gift of GOD" to all Pakistanis are in fact a superior-being than there divinity and there absolute right of governance becomes that much easier to shove down our throats. Rest assured that I have nothing well to say about majority of our politicians but why is their incompetence being used as a reason to suppress the will of the people? We as people must decide once and for all that who has the ultimate right to govern our lives? If the majority of Pakistanis feel that Pakistan Army is the rightful owner of our livelihoods and aspirations than I will shut up, but till that free & fair referendum is done I would like mushy to get real. The "know it all" general has recently claimed that he can beat "mian" & "bibi" in an election. Yes. That's right. And the real reason ash isn't marrying abhishek is because deep down she is secretly in love with me. We all have our delusions but most people are able to keep it on the down-low, general sahib unfortunately isn't aware of how to keep a lid on his insanity. If he makes an outrageous claim like that than one might say "haath kangan ko aarsi kya?" Put your money where your mouth is general sahib! But as ghalib said "hazaroon khoahishein aysi kayy harr khoahish pay dum niklay". The mid-term elections in America has once again brought to fore the fact that American public by & large are people who have the sensibility to do the right thing. This happens in societies that don't own their bad decisions as some sort of demented ancestral estate. As soon as they realize that they have made an error they rectify it, we on the other hand hold on to stupidities because it's what our forefathers did and after all they were all angels sent down from Allah (SWT) so how can they be wrong about anything? Amazingly enough that's the exact same argument that Quresh gave to the prophet (PBUH) 1500 years ago when prophet (PBUH) insisted that the new born girls shouldn't be buried alive and the hand made statues can't wipe if someone spit on them let alone fulfill wishes, they said are you asking us to deny what our forefathers believed in? I hear that same spat all day long from our people, obviously we have come a long way. All indications are that next year the elections in Pakistan will be as fair and honest as Darryl Hair, and that's saying something. What I find ultra horrid is the willingness of Pakistan Peoples party and Maulana fazlu to get in the sack with the establishment. I wonder sometimes how come these people are not suicidal after such obvious hypocrisy. Anyone with a shred of civility would go shoot himself out of sheer guilt, but I guess when GOD was distributing integrity our politicians were out protesting hudood ordinance or something else insignificant. One look at the political horizon of our country and you must wonder what a cruel joke has been played at our expense. When aamir liaquat Hussein is your religious minister, you must realize that hell must have frozen over. MQM having the religious ministry is just as funny as maulana samiul haq as the in charge of Arts council or anything else fun for that matter. Of all the people you would think that MQM would be a little more sensitive to what the poor people in FATA and balochistan are going thru after all whooping of 90's wasn't that far back, was it? This "Bravery" oozes from an army who for some ungodly reason shine ONLY against the defenseless civilians of their own country, Whether it's East Pakistan or the streets of Karachi and Hyderabad or the mountains of Balochistan and NWFP, Pakistan Army's assertiveness and cavalry is nothing short of perfection. However when confronted with real war against real army they seem to surrender before you can say "IT". I am not an Army hater, my hats off to jawans and officers who actually put their lives in danger to safeguard our borders. It's a noble profession maybe far nobler than my meaningless day job. But at the end of the day this is what they choose to do, we appreciate it but we can't pay for their gracious undertaking by giving up our right to vote. Army is the paid servant of the people of Pakistan not the other way around. And why is that things that should be a norm of any halfway decent modern-day government is actually favored upon us and we are expected to be indebted for generations. If media is freer in Pakistan than what it was and it is then why is it a expectation from the establishment that this alone should be enough for people of Pakistan and how dare they demand healthcare, clean-water, rule of law, free & fair elections and self-respect as well? A lot of people already know about the famous book that Michael Hart wrote entitled "The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History". Number one on that list has been discussed at length; few have talked about the 5th on the list which is just as surprising as the first. It's the 2nd caliph of Islam Omer (May Allah be pleased with him). What is it about him that is so intriguing to a western writer of this age? The only justification I can come up with is that Omer ((May Allah be pleased with him) had an eerie sense of justice and unrivaled sagacity of accountability towards his constituents. It almost seems that he was bi-polar with all due respect because if you look at his demeanor other than as a ruler a very ruthless and stubborn picture emerges. But as a ruler of the people he orders his governor of Egypt in his court because governor's son beats up a man for defeating him in a horse-race. Omer's justice is that he gives a stick in the man's hand and asks him to beat the governor in front of the full court, because it's his power that his son is drunk on. Makes you wonder, "Where have all the cowboys gone?"
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