What we lose from Civil-nuclear deal with US

This article has been published with some changes at
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9-350353-What-we-lose-from-a-civil-nuclear-deal

Ever since the discussion of the “Diplomatic blockbuster” of David Ignatius, there has been a sense of Achievement in the political, intellectual and military circles in Pakistan. It is being hailed as Pakistan’s greatest achievements by some amongst them because that would, maybe, equate us to the Indian-US nuclear deal of 2008. But let us deeply analyze this reality before jumping to any conclusions and celebrations.

What has India got from a US-India nuclear deal

The first and most important aspect of this discussion is to understand the reality of US-India nuclear deal. The discussion of nuclear deal with india that started in 2005, materialized in 2008 has not been able to conclude a single nuclear agreement with America or any other country till 2015. According to G. Balachandran, a consulting fellow at the New Delhi-based Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis, “The only nuclear cooperation that India has been able to conclude with any of the countries with whom it has nuclear cooperation agreements is in respect of nuclear fuel.” India had to lower its target of installed nuclear capacity from 63 GW by 2032 to 27.5 GW, as none of the proposed projects have started. Last year, Russia has agreed to setting up 10 nuclear reactors but that has nothing to do with the US-India Nuclear deal. Other than the prestige that comes with the name US-India Nuclear deal, there had been no practical effect of the deal for Indians Energy problems for the last 7 years after signing the deal. The question really arises, are we really dying for such a deal just because of our obsession with India?

What we will loose from a US-Pak nuclear deal

“Possible new limits and controls on Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and delivery systems,” David Ignatius, an opinion writer for the US-based newspaper said. It does not sound really encouraging now, does it? Peter R. Lavoy, a longtime intelligence expert on the Pakistani nuclear program, with close relations with the country’s military, and who is currently serving on the U.S. National Security Council, is known to be leading the discussions think that “There’s a political dimension with the Shaheen-III that I think is troubling to the US government, and to many other governments of representatives here in the audience, that now you will have the ability to reach many other countries, in the Middle East, for example, that Pakistan didn’t have that capacity in the past.” It is also described in The Washington Post and The New York Times, the American proposals center on Pakistan’s shortest-range missiles and long-range ones. So to sum it up, we will have to reduce our nuclear program to get a deal which might take 3 years to materialize and another 7 years to start discussing about giving us a civilian nuclear reactor. And off course if anything unusual happens, this deal can be taken off by the Americans, like the F-16 deal in the past in which we got wheat for the money of F-16s.  

What we will get from a US-Pak nuclear deal

Maybe, I am too cynical, so lets explore what we can get practically.  US support for a US-Pakistan civilian nuclear agreement, possible membership of 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) by US support and relaxation of Nuclear Suppliers Group export controls.

I have already discussed how beneficial can the US-Pak nuclear agreement be by comparing with the US-India deal. As far as NSG is concerned, for now, the symbolic significance of a place at the NSG carries no strategic weight for Pakistan, as it has explored alternative markets for its civil nuclear program. Pakistan has already been engaged with China, and to some extent with Russia, for its civil nuclear needs. China is involved in construction of at least six nuclear reactors in Pakistan. Wang Xiaotao, a key official of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said at a press conference “has assisted the construction of at least six nuclear reactors in Pakistan with a total installed capacity of 3.4 million kilowatts.” Most Importantly, China has never imposed any conditions on our Military Nuclear program after supporting us in building the civilian nuclear reactors.

There is another angle to this discussion. Even if we get the NSG membership and people start trading with us in the nuclear domain, we will always be looked at with suspicion. Our track record of the AQ Khan episode will always keep us in the spotlight.  For Instance, on October 20, Congressman Ted Poe, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Non-proliferation and Trade, urged Obama to not engage in any negotiations regarding a US-Pakistan civil nuclear agreement. "Simply put, Pakistan's current and past record is disqualifying for any consideration by the US to support civilian nuclear cooperation with Pakistan bilaterally”. I am sure that even if the Americans deal with us and we become an active partner in Nuclear Suppliers Group, they, along with the Indians would continue to blame us and blackmail us and humiliate us in the rest of the world. So this move is going to hurt our international standing in the long run despite all our efforts at strengthening the nuclear safety and security regime.

Thinking independently and making better choices for Pakistan

Other than the superficial argument, “whatever India wants, we want it too” there is nothing in it for Pakistan in this deal. We need to overcome our obsession with India and realize that we can make far better choices if we think independently for Pakistan. We already have secured a 46 billion dollar deal with China without any “CONDITIONS” from China on our military assets. Major part of the investment deals with resolving the energy crises as well. Apart from that, Pakistan has exceptional potential for Solar, Wind, Coal, Hydro energy options to meet the energy needs and unnecessary pushing for a US nuclear reactor is absolutely redundant for Pakistan.

Misconceptions about Shia Islam: A Sunni perspective

This article has been published at
http://www.pakistanherald.com/article/8259/30-october-2015/misconceptions-about-shia-islam(col)-a-sunni-perspective

The start of holy month of Moharram witnesses a serious debate regarding Shia Islam amongst the Sunni Muslims of Pakistan. Unfortunately in many of the aspects, this debate is driven by emotions and misconceptions and has no knowledge based reasoning. The misguiding concepts of the two groups about each other have done nothing more than seriously destroying the unity of Muslims around the world while provoking hatred and anger for each other. The discussions are mostly superficial and I being a sunni myself do not believe in the core shia concepts but I was once a believer of many misconceptions regarding Shias. However, it was not long ago that I started reading things by myself and having discussions with many shia friends on the misconceptions with a rational basis. I would like to share my evolution of thought in this matter with an aim of brining harmony between the two groups wherever possible and encouraging an atmosphere of constructive debates.

Shia Islam is a detailed and controversial topic in islamic history and requires serious understanding of Islamic fundamental thought before jumping to any conclusions but unfortunately, our society has a tendency of superficial thinking in some very critical matters. First of all, we need to know that there are several sects amongst the shias namely,  Jafari, Zaidi, Ismaili etc. In Pakistan, the only serious debate occurs between Jafari Shia and Sunnis. The other prominent groups like Agha Khanis and Bohris are seldom part of discussion because of their minority and very closed community structure. Zaidis are mostly found in Yemen so no discussion there as well.  

Now coming to the question, what is Jafari Shia Islam? If you ask a layman sunni, an abrubt answer would be that they are kafir (Non-Muslim) because they abuse sahaba like Hazrat Abu bakr(R.A), Hazrat Umar (R.A), Hazrat Ayesha (R.A) they believe Hazrat Ali (R.A.) is God, they pray from Hazrat Ali (R.A) and ask for his support, they do not believe in 30 chapters of Quran, they think Hazrat Ali (R.A) is above Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W), they pray three times, they think Hazrat Ali (R.A) is all knowing, they have changed the kalma, they do matam with knives and spill blood etc. This is supposed to be an informed answer from a sunni which is also mostly incorrect and filled with misconceptions. But if you talk to the badly informed ones, you would find nothing but hatred and bias to discuss Shias. For Instance, Shias are accused to be from the family of Jews and accused of spitting in food for a sunni muslim and there are several offensive terms used to describe them. This is all based on the rumours and misconceptions that are spread amongst the mainstream sunni families.

The best part in such a discussion with a sunni is that when you tell him that I ate lunch together with my shia friend and he did not spit on my plate nor has he changed his kalma, the answer is: Umair! You do not know. They do taqqayya (hide their faith) and they lie on your face. If that is true, then consequently, whatever the sunnis say about Shias is correct and whatever the Shias say in justification is taqqayya. I really do not buy this unusual logic in which only the accuser is correct and the accused is a liar and therefore the accused is guilty! What an absurd way of thinking!

After several discussions with my shia friends and some serious literature reading on this topic, I think I am in a position to clarify many of the misconceptions of my sunni fellows. The objective is not to offend any group with my views or to hurt the feelings of anyone but it is to initiate a sensible dialogue in an environment of lack of knowledge and misconceptions. The sole purpose is to highlight the notions that divide us but are not actually there.  

First point. The biggest misconception amongst sunnis is that all shia groups are the same. This causes the greatest hurdle in a fruitful discussion on this subject. In Pakistan and even across the muslim world, the mainstream majority shia group is generally known as the Twelver Shia or Ithnā'ashariyyah  or Imami or Ja'fari.  The second most influential group amongst the shias are the Zaidis and then comes others like Ismaili, Alawi, Nauseri, Bohri etc. Understanding the difference amongst the prominent groups is fundamental to the shia sunni discourse. The Jafari for example have the understanding of 12 Imaam while the Zaidis accept 5 Imaam and the Ismaili Bohras believe in 21 Imaams and the Ismaili Agha Khanis have the 49^th current Imaam. Since Imaam is a fundamental concept amongst Shia groups, it is evident that difference on the Imaams would mean difference in understanding on fundamental issues. 

Second point. The jafaris do not consider Hazrat Ali (R.A) as God or higher or equal to the Prophethood of Muhammad (S.A.W) or that Angel Gabriel made a mistake. They do consider Hazrat Ali (R.A) as an Imaam (Spiritual leader) who is Masoom (pure from any sins) and the heir of the Khilafah after Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). These concepts do not in anyway contradict the fundamentals of Islam. Considering someone Pure or the heir to the khilafah is a matter of difference of opinion in jurisprudence and no known scholar of repute consider it a basis of takfir (disbelief).

Third point. It is an absolute lie that shias have a quran with 40 chapters. You can go and visit to your shia friend house or a shia mosque and you would find the same quran. There is disagreements on the tafseer aspect of the Quran of Shias and Sunnis and this is a domain in which even many sunnis groups and sahaba had disagreements. 

Fourth point. The kalma of shia and sunnis is the same which is a declaration of faith of all muslims. They do add “Ali(R.A) is a friend of God” . If you ask a serious fiqhi Shia or sunni Scholar that adding this after the kalma or before the kalma is kufr (disbelief), his answer would be in the negative. The Kalma remains the same and adding something which does not contradict the fundamentals of Islam is not a matter of disbelief by any standards and it does not mean that the kalma has been changed.

Fifth point. The most misunderstood issue on both sides is the issue of abusing the Sahaba. It is well accepted by sunni and shia scholars alike that abusing anyone is haram in Islam as per the hadith of the prophet S.A.W saying that “Abusing a muslim is fisq (haram)”. The issue of the Sahaba with the shias is the political issues over several matters i.e. The matter of heir to Khalifa, the battle of Jamal, The Battle of Siffeen, the issue of Karbala, the issue of hazrat Fatima land etc. On the basis of their understanding of ill-treatment, the jafri shia declare disbelief on Hazrat Abu bakr R.A and Hazrat Umar R.A. The learned shia view this matter as a sign of dissatisfaction on such matters however, abusing is still out of question. There is a fatwa of Grand Ayatullah Sistani that it is kufr(disbelief) on those who disrespect bibi Ayesha (R.A). Moreover, it is an absolutely wrong opinion that shia abuse or reject all the sahaba other than ahl-e-bait. Infact Imaam Jafer Sadiq had praised the Sahaba of Rasulullah (S.A.W) in the book Misbah al Shariah as follows:

"Allah (S.W.T) from amongst the Sahaba had selected a group, and showered them with respect, they were successful and the blessed lips of Rasulullah (s) praised them for virtues. You should [likewise] love them, extol their virtues and separate from the people of Bidah as sitting with them leads to one's heart being filled with kufr and hatred".

Just like the badly informed Sunnis and their unacceptable allegations, the badly informed Shias go on and start abusing some of the sahaba publicly which creates chaos amongst the Sunnis who love the companions of Rasolullah (s.a.w) and naturally their emotions are provoked when they hear abusive language about Hazrat Abu bakr R.A. and Hazrat Umar R.A. who have been praised by many hadith from Rasoolullah (s.a.w). This has been the biggest cause of hatred and dispute amongst the sunnis and shias which has given rise to organizations like Sipah sahaba and Lashkar jhangvi and Sipah Mohammad in retaliation.

Sixth point. The issue of praying only 3 namaz and praying with hands un-folded. Shia pray all 5 prayers and they do combine prayers of noon/afternoon and evening/night prayer. This combining of prayers is done during time of hajj and even travelling by many sunni schools of thoughts. Not folding hands during namaz and combining prayers is a matter of jurisprudence based on Imaam Jafer sadiq which is well accepted by the Sunni schools of thought like Imaam Shafi. So once again, this is nothing more than a misconception and lack of knowledge about Islam. 

Seventh point. If you ask a shia that Hazrat Ali (R.A) is all knowing and has the power to help, the learned one would say that he knows what all knowing Allah has informed him through his messenger Prophet S.A.W and he is the wali ullah ( Allah’s friend ) so if he requests from Allah regarding a matter then Allah will bestow that to us. So it is a matter of fact that it is only Allah who is all knowing and all powerful. This concept has no flaw with regards to the fundamentals of Islam. There are some mainstream Brelvi sunni muslims who have the same understanding on this matter with their Spiritual leaders.

Eight point. Regarding the issue of matam, there is disagreement between ayatollah of Iran and Ayatullah of Iraq. There is a clear fatwa by the ayatollah khomeni that pronounces it forbidden to hit yourself with knives and spill blood while the other Ayatullah of Iraq agrees to this practice. Does that make one a kafir (disbeliever)? The Sunni position on this issue is that it is haram to do matam. But to mourn the death of Imaam Hussain R.A. is completely allowed. The disagreement is on the styles of mourning and nothing else.

The above discussion should sum up a lot of the debate that goes on amongst the Sunni Muslims and it should give them a new perspective to re-think about Jafri fiqh in Shia Islam especially from the perspective of takfir (disbelief). This understanding is very important at both ends and a sensible serious dialogue should be started by the scholars of both groups. This would create harmony amongst the two groups and bring them close. We should become a party in spreading this call of unity and should not be infected by the negative propaganda of hatred, lies and misconceptions on both ends.

What has General Raheel Sharif Changed?

This article has been published with some changes at
http://pakteahouse.net/2015/10/25/what-has-general-raheel-sharif-changed/

Imran Khan recently tweeted that the “popularity level of Gen Raheel Sharif is touching skies”. Even though this is true but I am one of the many who are not easily convinced by the superficial displays of patriotism, songs, signboards or statements, which determine ‘popularity’ of political and military “celebrities”. I would rather discuss the serious issues like policies designed to resolve the chronic problems of the country. While Gen Raheel has shown lots of determination, I must say that, I don’t find his approach different from his predecessors (Kiyani and Musharraf ). It is true that due to Gen Raheel’s resolve extortion and target killings have gone down in Karachi. But my reservations are as follows:

Same Drone policy

Let us start with the Drones’ issue. Nothing has been done to restore the air sovereignty of Pakistan that is being continuously invaded by the US. The drone strikes by the Americans continue and perhaps have increased in the recent months. How is it any different from the situation under Gen Kiyani (when more than 300 strikes took place) and Musharraf (when these strikes started).

Dependence on the America

Pakistan does not have an independent foreign policy and sometimes even the domestic policies are influenced by other nations. Secondly, any Chief of Army Staff is close to the Americans. For instance, General Raheel has been awarded the Legion of Merit (LOM) by the U.S. This award is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements for the U.S. Similar interest was shown by the Americans in the case of his predecessors From Ayub, Zia, Musharraf, Kiyani etc. Our dependent behavior remains the same.

Extending the American war on terror

After General Musharraf joined the US war on terror as a front line state, there had been several militancy related operations, which destabilized our country immensely. We have had more than 55,000 civilians dead and more than 6,000 army personnel have laid their lives for the war after the Americans invaded Afghanistan. There was just one reported suicide bomb in Pakistan before 9/11 in 1987 and after our alliance with American, we had to pay a huge cost with more than 450 suicide attacks on our soil.

Musharraf started military operations in 2004 in South Waziristan, then Kayani started operation in 2008 in Swat and other regions. General Raheel has been leading operations in North Waziristan and Khyber agencies.DG ISPR Major General Asim Bajwa while briefing at GHQ said, “For the military, there will be no discrimination among Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) groups or Haqqani network, all terror groups are going to be eliminated.”

It is well known that Pakistan’s enemies are the TTP operated groups, and the Haqqanis have never attacked our soil. The Haqqanis – even after several drone strikes on their women and children – did not take up arms against the Pak Army. Have we thought how after Zarb-e-Azab we may be creating more enemies of Pakistani state?

Same policy of heated rhetoric and blame game with India

Complaining to America about Indian involvement and waging a war of words with India. Using Kashmir issue and Indian animosity to whip patriotism; and taking no concrete steps to resolve them. Same policy here.

Continuing the Army operations policy in Balochistan

Last month, at least 13 suspected militants belonging to the BLF were killed in a raid by security forces near Turbat. Balochistan operations continue to take place and atrocities are generally underreported or not discussed at all.

Increasing the Missing persons Issues

On Jan 14, 2015, acccording to media reports, the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CIED) was seized with 1,265 cases as of Dec 31. But the Defence of Human Rights (DHR) claims that the total number of cases of missing persons is 5,149 and 252 of them surfaced in 2014 alone.

Zohra Yusuf, Chairperson HRCP talking about rangers operations in Karachi said: “HRCP has many concerns with regard to due process amid a perceptible rise in suspects’ killings in encounters in Karachi… We cannot stress enough the need for transparency in security operations, and unequivocally state that people being picked up and their whereabouts remaining unknown for days is utterly unacceptable.” Especially after the National Action Plan, the situation of missing person cases has increased. Has our policy changed?

Throwing around 2.8 million people in Camps

How can a country move in the right direction when it displaces its own citizens for every operation that is carried out? FATA was already governed in a terrible manner and now people are suffering from multiple security operations. On 19th March 2015, Minister for States and Frontier Regions Lt General (r) Abdul Qadir Baloch said that the ongoing operation of repatriating Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their respective areas would be completed by December 2016. A total of Rs 2.8 million people belonging to seven agencies had to leave their homes due to military operation against militants.

Keeping army relevant as a political actor

The best start of army officials’ involvement was seen during the ‘dharna’ game of 2014; and the Army Chief was presented as the savior of Pakistanis as silly politicians fought with each other. Even though I do not have much hope from the current system and our politicians but a soft army coup is not the answer to our problems. It seems to be a repeat telecast of army involvement when general Kiyani resolved the issue of restoring the former Chief Justice in 2009 when tensions escalated between the PML(N) and the PPP.

On 26 July, 2015, Gen Raheel said: “CPEC and Gwadar Port will be built and developed as one of the most strategic deep sea ports in the region at all costs,” Even though it is a purely civilian initiative and the government of China has made contract with the government of Pakistan. Such statements undermine the civilian setup unnecessarily and increase the powers of the military establishment.

Silencing free journalism

The message is loud and clear to the journalists. You cannot criticize any action of army. You cannot give coverage to the other side of story of the affectees of drones, Zarb-e-Azab, Balochistan issue, IDPs, Karachi operation. You cannot discuss corruption cases within the security agencies. Anyone doing this is a traitor in the homeland. Media is influenced by the intelligence agencies; and the Army public relations department plays a major role these days in shaping public opinion. Such media management is even stronger than the Musharraf or Kiyani eras!

Pushing Legislation to control citizens

Legislation has been pushed which undermines the freedom of civilians and basic human rights. The PPO and the 21st constitutional amendment (under National Action Plan) are clear examples of it. These legal changes make military the judge, the prosecutor and the witness against everyone.

With the passage of the far-reaching Pakistan Protection Act (PPA) 2014, LEAs now have legal cover to enter and search any premises without warrant as well as detain and fire at “enemy aliens/militants” whom they reasonably believe will commit an offence.

What Musharraf started continues. No questions or FIRs on extra judicial killings by the rangers and army operations or the drones. The blame has been placed on the judiciary for freeing terrorists. Instead of strengthening the current judicial structures, the parliament has set up military courts.

And interestingly, if something goes wrong on the security front, it will be the parliamentary PM who will be held accountable.

Supporting militias

If you have heard of the Jamat-ud-Dawa and Jaish-al-Muhammad or Hizb-ul-Mujahideen you would know what I mean. All these groups continue to have offices and banners and billboards and campaigning. This policy has not changed either.

I believe the above points clearly demonstrate that as far as the major policies are concerned, the country has not seen anything new. Patriotic songs, media gimmicks and billboards are of little use given the serious issues faced by the country. And as long as this attitude about major issues like American domination, sacred army, controlled politicians, restricted freedoms, military operations etc continue, we cannot see problems solving in the near future.

Criminalizing Owais Raheel

This article is published with same changes at
http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/29777/criminalising-owais-raheel-what-happened-to-innocent-until-proven-guilty/

The news on Wednesday emerged on several news channels regarding the arrest of a Lecturer named Owais Raheel of SZABIST University who is a BE from NED University and an MBA from IBA. The news clip on geo.tv website reports “Another highly educated terror suspect arrested in Karachi’s Clifton” and samaa.tv reports “Karachi professor booked for terror-ties” and arynews.tv reports “IBA graduate turned terrorist arrested in Karachi”.  The CTD has arrested Owais Raheel under section 11EEEE (1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act which would investigate the charges against him for at-least 3 months and then decide in the court of Law for being guilty of the alleged crime or not. 

Let us step back and analyze these BREAKING NEWS stories in front of a common man. To him, this person is a Terrorist even though nothing is proved in the court of Law. The Media has defamed him with the utmost negligence just to gain ranking in the news business and just to make the news more astonishing. Since by viewing the news details, I saw that the only thing recovered from him were pamphlets and his alleged involvement in campaigning for Hizb-ut-tahrir. Interestingly, he was not found killing people, or carrying guns or grenades, or advocating sectarian hatred or involved in any terrorism related activity. Let us look at the group with whom he is claimed to be associated i.e. HuT. The group believes in an intellectual and political struggle to revive the Ottomon style Caliphate all across the Muslim word. Several of their members have been arrested earlier for their radical views regarding the existing democratic structure and the political and military leadership of Pakistan. Their members are generally found to be highly educated and they openly condemn the activities of TTP and ISIS all across the world and consider Militant struggle as Haram (forbidden). Even SSP Amir Farooqi of the CTD said on the arrest of Owais Raheel that “We have not yet found their history of terrorism”. The interviews of his students by Tribune revealed that he was a gentleman, really helpful, extremely competent in his field and never imposed his ideas.  Considering this background, I believe that Owais Raheel might be set free soon enough because it is purely legal to have political and intellectual discussions and struggle in Pakistan.

But for the common man, He is a bloody terrorist who kills kids and bombs mosques and kill shias etc because the media has FRAMED the news in that direction. He has been shown connected somehow with the case of Saad Aziz and Safoora attacks and sheeba ahmed on a prime TV show. It shows that people are been prosecuted without evidences. Owais Raheel’s reputation has been defamed and now would have to justify himself for not being a criminal or a terrorist or killing people. This is just one example of how media has literally abused viewership power to discredit people and parties. If one ponders on the news of Drone strikes and strikes by our Air force, you would be stunned to hear that “30 or so suspected terrorists killed” or the news of Rangers operations that “10 or so suspected TTP terrorists killed”. I mean who is a suspected Terrorist? There is a clear universally accepted principle that says “Innocent until proven guilty”. But in Pakistan, It is the other way around. How can you kill a person who is suspected of a crime? How can u defame a person who is suspected to be something or someone? If Owais Raheel is not proven guilty then who would be guilty of defaming and destroying his family reputation and his career?

To add to all this is the misery faced by the families of such people and the way concerned authorities deal with them. Owais Raheel according to the family was missing since last month, they even posted a petition in court and did press conference for him earlier but they were denied any information. The CTD reports that they picked Owais on Tuesday, 6th October, 2015. Even the ZABIST administration told that he was suspended for missing classes without notice last month. Is this how we treat our citizens? Zohra Yusuf, Chairperson HRCP talking about operations in Karachi Rightly pointed out that “HRCP has many concerns with regard to due process amid a perceptible rise in suspects’ killings in encounters in Karachi, as is obvious from official figures also. We cannot stress enough the need for transparency in security operations, and unequivocally state that people being picked up and their whereabouts remaining unknown for days is utterly unacceptable.”

You kill people on suspected grounds, you defame people on suspected grounds, you arrest people on suspicion and make them terror linked on the basis of suspicion. All this is without evidence and the fruits of the National Action Plan that is being implemented or the Pakistan Protection Ordinance or the Anti terrorism Act etc. These things are a clear violation of Human rights and must clearly be accounted. Ironically, the media had been irresponsibly consistent in pushing this narrative along with the state. Whether it be in the case of MQM or kachi abadis in Islamabad, or drone strikes or army operations or Karachi operations or baloch operations. The Media needs to become a strong pillar of the state to keep it on the right track and stop portraying people and parties as criminals before proven. Let the courts decide this.

How to end the TTP menace?

The recent attack on Peshawar air base with numerous casualties of our forces reinforces a point which is being presented by many in the intellectual circles. That point is that you cannot defeat an enemy who has a strong ideological narrative by arrests and army operations. There are many pseudo intellectuals who think that TTP is a bunch of brainwashed bearded people somewhere in Swat or Waziristan or karachi and can be rounded up and killed. Well I think they have tried and failed miserably for the last 15 years. We are still at the same position which Musharraf thought he would take us out of, Kiyani on the same lines planned like a professional soldier and now General Raheel is moving on to end it all. Their strategy was loud and clear. It was to make TTP unpopular, isolate it from general public and do military operations to finish it off.

However, the problem was not as  simple as it seems. TTP is not a group of CIA or RAW funded mullas even though these agencies might have some influence over them. TTP is a reactionary narrative to a brutal reality faced by Pashtuns which is coupled with the ideological aspect of Jihad and Islam. And as long as these two aspects remain or escalate, the situation will get even worse. Let me discuss them one by one.

The first aspect that fuels TTP and motivates its followers to give the ultimate sacrifice and blow themselves up and punish the forces and even the general masses is the reactionary narrative of Pashtuns. Pashtuns, by their nature, have been difficult to control by the British. Since the 9/11 incident affected the Pashtun belt of KPK directly, the war spillover was natural in our tribal belts across the artificially created lines by Durand during partition. This did not incite much reaction since Pak army was not initially involved. Americans however, eager to WIN the war, wanted serious action by pak army in these areas. The army had always resisted in fighting their own people in the tribal regions but since the drone strikes started and even army was pushed by Musharraf in these regions, the Pashtuns faced an enemy at their home. This enemy were those who once  created them, nurtured them, taught them how to fight. The reaction was inevitable and much expected by the army. The drone strikes, the F16 bombings, especially the Bajor madrassa attack which killed 80 students and several targeted operations killed many innocent civilians including women and children intensified the situation. Then, came the operations where people in hundreds of thousands were ordered to leave their homes. They were forced to live miserable lives in camps while their whole life belongings were either destroyed by bombings or stolen. They were given media coverage in a negative manner as if they are the enemies of the state and are hiding all the terrorists amongst themselves. This created a reactionary narrative of injustice against the Pashtuns and they were forced to retaliate with utmost craze to get revenge. This reactionary narrative was not only carried by laymen but influentials from amongst the tribal people and it still exists today.

The second aspect is coupling it with Jihad and Islam. This makes the movement extremely lethal and includes non-pashtuns in a natural way. This aspect came from the war in Afghanistan which was being fought against the infidels Americans and considered Jihad by Afghans and Pashtuns. When Musharraf joined the Afghan war as an ally, the narrative was quite easily built that those who support the enemy are the enemies themselves. This is reinforced by Quranic verses and Hadiths which explicitly mention that those MUSLIMS who are allies of the kuffar are amongst them. This made them motivated enough to fight the Pakistani army and the people in a way they fight the Americans. They declared kufr to the army soldiers and officers and claimed that they are waging jihad against the pak army. Interestingly, steps taken by the forces were also consolidating their thinking, like the operation at Lal Masjid in Islamabad, then the ban on all jihadi groups, rolling back kashmir jihad, strict surveillance of Masajid, Ulema and Madaris etc. These steps spreaded this movement to all parts of Pakistan and especially those places where the jihadis of Zia Regime were predominant. This also led to the revival of Al-Qaeda based thinking that those who are praying in mosques or are at shopping malls should be bombed because they too are infidels for supporting their governments. Even though there are several evidences that it was CIA who was also supporting the TTP in the name of Raymond Davis and Blackwater. This now became not only a Pashtun resistance but also an ideologically endorsed jihad against the Pak army.

This narrative is attractive to the Pakistani generation which has seen Afghan jihad as a saviour of Muslim world. They have soft corner for all jihadis and therefore you can see that the recent arrest of well educated people like Saad Aziz and well settled businessmen like Sheeba Ahmed and many officers who were defected from the army and joined TTP are influenced by this narrative.

Therefore, if we want to end this TTP menace in our country which has claimed more than 60,000 lives and 3,000 soldiers, we need to counter this narrative headon by practical steps. First, we need to stop operations from Waziristan and stop throwing people in camps every year. Second, No more drones or air strikes or bombings. The people should feel secure that life is now back to normal. Third, End alliance with the Americans on this so called War on terror and declare ourselves as an independent state and remove all kinds of foreign influences and the CIA network from the country. Fourth, release American pressure by joining alliances with other major powers and ensure that we do not fight America's war. By taking these four steps we would crush the narrative of TTP and the reasons of their reactionary militant struggle and save us from moving into further chaos for the years to come.

Seven opinion groups in Pakistan - Where do you Fall?

What is the most favorite discourse amongst us Pakistanis these days? Of-course, It is the Political and Religious discourse. Whether you go through facebook discussions, watch popular media programs or sit at the Dhaba (tea hotel) with your friends, you would find Pakistanis discussing endlessly about politics and religion.

Being one of the active participants in such discussions, I had observed a pattern of opinions that flows amongst people. I believe that this spectrum of opinion can be broadly categorized into 7 sections i.e. Militant Extremists, Islamists, Moderates, Secular Liberals, Liberal Extremists, army Fans and finally the leftists. The account of each one of them is as follows.   

On the Extreme Left of the scale are the “Militant Extremists”. They undoubtedly hold the extremist  radical opinion. However, they are further classified into three separate entities. One variant of this opinion group includes TTP and the ISIS. Their opinion regarding the Armed forces, the civilian government and the people in general is of hatred and killings. They consider Pakistan army as infidels and anyone supporting them (general public) as their allies and thus infidels as well and should be bombed, attacked or killed. They claim that they do this for the implementation of Shariah and Islam.

Another variant of this group are the Sunni groups including Sipah sahaba, Jundallah, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and the likes. They apparently think that Shias are the biggest cause of the world’s problems. Therefore, they think that killing them is a duty destined by Islam to protect Islam and to save the world. Similar are the reactionary Sipah-e-Mohammad group who are standing on the shia side to finish off the sunnis.

Third variant is a Secular Nationalist one which includes the likes of BLA and JSQM. They believe that they have been forcefully and illegally occupied by the Punjabi Army and in reaction they were waging a freedom movement against them. They, however, do not mix religion in their struggle but the outcome is the same as that of TTP and Lashkar-e-jhangvi  i.e. Militant extremism.

These three different opinion groups are hardliners and are never ready to open up for any discussion and alteration into their opinion.

The other group which is on another level of the spectrum and substantially in majority is the group of “Islamists”. And it includes Jamaat-e-islami, Tableeghi Jamaat, Hizb-ut-tahrir, Tanzeem-e-islami, Jamiat ulema-e-Islam, mainstream Deoband Madaaris and the likes. Unlike the militant extremists, they do not consider the armed forces, the civilian government or the people, in general, as infidels neither are they interested in killing Shias.

They are however much critical of Army fighting its own people in the tribal areas or in Karachi. They also oppose the crackdown against the Islamists across the country and believe that it is being done only on American dictation. These groups are more often at odds with the government for introducing secular reforms and pursuing the liberal agenda in the country.

The group believes that Pakistan was created in the name of Islam, thus, its founding principles, its beliefs, its systems and the laws must only be according to Islam. They are endlessly striving for an Islamic Pakistan or Caliphate. This group rejects the use of violence in their struggle and is found condemning the actions of militant extremists against Islam. But since they also demand the implementation of shariah in the country, some unworthy liberals intentionally try to mix them with the Islamic variant of militant extremists in order to push their anti-islamic or liberal agenda. In this group, few and not all, glorifies General Zia but almost everyone endorse Allama Iqbal, Islamic inclined media anchors and Islamic segments of the society but they detest General (r) Musharraf, Malala Yousufzai, secular media persons and the secular segments.

Then there is a third opinion group that we would term as “Moderates”. They also constitute a major share in the society and include PTI, PML(N), Sunni ittehad council, Shia goups and others. They carry Islamic emotions and loves Islam but clearly have no intension to implement Sharia. They are generally secular in nature but do not want to give away their religious identity. This group works hand in hand with the armed forces and supports it rather reluctantly in all its endeavors and wishes to get over with this mess as early as possible. They don’t want to identify themselves as Islamists or Secular but want to remain somewhere in between. They do hold a soft corner for the Islamists but not the militant extremists and therefore their ideals can also be compared with the Islamists.

The fourth segment of the society which is again lesser in number are the “Secular Liberals”. This group includes PPP, MQM, ANP and others. They categorically state themselves as a secular alternative in the country and vehemently reject the implementation of Islam or Islamic reforms.

They are the diehard supporters of Army and its crackdown against Islamic militant extremists and even the Islamic elements across the country. However, when the military operations are turned towards their own military wings, they leave no stone unturned in criticizing the armed forces. Moreover, they hold religious groups, religious sentiments and the Islamic segments responsible behind every problem of Pakistan.  They idealize liberal personalities and secular symbols of the country like Benazir Bhutto, Salman Taseer, Malala and the likes.

Then there is a minority group of “Liberal Extremists”. They are those liberals who almost like TTP are illogical and irrational on their stance except they do not take up arms. They, however, want army to kill the Islamists and even the moderate factions for that matter to revive and flourish Pakistan as a liberal secular state.

And somewhere in between are the “Army fans”, which includes the likes of Zaid Hamid, Hafiz Saeed of Jamat-ud-dawa, Jaish mohammad and others. They carry only one opinion and their one point agenda is to prove that army is the sacred cow which can never do wrong. Whatever others say is wrong but the stance of army is always beyond any question or criticism.

The last and not the least, are the “leftists”. They include Communist Mazdoor kisan party, International Socialists, National Student federation and the likes. They talk about a complete change of status quo from liberal capitalism and Islam to Socialist state. They are predominantly secular and consider army as the major power tool for implementing capitalist and Islamic centered policies. Their criticism of army is extremely blatant and therefore they consider them the root cause of the problems of Pakistan.

Interestingly, the above 7 opinion scales do not have sharp boundaries and many people might fall into more than one opinion area. Here, I would like to point out that the issue of Pakistan is not which opinion spectrum do you belong to but what really matters is “Have you ever thought about it?” or “Are you ready to change opinion about your stance based on facts?” or in other words “Are you really open for a healthy discussion with a different opinion group with patience?”.

Our intolerant society might not be very much ready to endorse different opinions and start a fruitful discussion on matters but we as a society will have to learn to do so. This is how societies shape themselves. If we are able to move towards this sensible course, the dominant opinion will rise from the various viewpoints and society can move in that direction which would ensure progressive thinking and maturity.

The boy lying on the seashore makes me angry!

My daughter who is 2 years old now is very beautiful. We have hundreds of her beautiful pictures and videos while playing with her toys, reading her books and making mess out of the things. I and my wife as parents try to give her the best of whatever she wants. We always try our best to protect her from any harm and do all it takes for her well being. But sometimes I get angry. Off-course I do not get angry at my daughter for all the annoying things she  does because I understand that she is a little baby who cannot think or make decisions for herself. But I get angry at the door that hits her head sometimes, I get angry when she slips from water spilled on floor, I get angry at the weather which makes her ill, I get angry at the mosquitoes that bite her. In-short, everything that makes my child even a little uncomfortable, makes me angry. But my anger calms down and gets converted into the feelings of grief and helplessness when I realize that these things are as innocent as my child.

But then, there is another kind of anger that prompts me for taking serious action. And that is when someone shouts at her, when someone deliberately hits her or when we as parents are clumsy at looking after her! Such an anger does not and should not turn into sadness or helplessness, rather it results in arousing the feelings of hatred towards an individual or direct confrontation or a serious debate. This is because the situation demands this! and it is in my direct or indirect control to take appropriate actions. Moreover, If I do not respond, my child would be in a much more insecure situation.

Aylan Kurdi, The 3 year old boy is seen lying on the sea shore. I was expecting him to wake up and play again. I thought he might be very tired and hence slept on the shore after playing with the sand. I am saying this because my baby girl also does the same. At one time we see her running here and there enjoying and in the next few minutes we find her fallen asleep after being tired. She sleeps in the same posture in which Aylan is shown sleeping calmly on the shore. But when you continue to look at the picture, you realize that Aylan has indeed slept forever. He has indeed been tired; tired of running away from his home with his parents, wandering here and there to find a shelter and save themselves from the barrel bombs that rain over them everyday, trying to find a safe place out of their homes, moving towards the sea and risking their lives, gambling between dying of bombings of the Bashar regime or ISIS or the waves of the ocean. Aylan was tired of fighting the ocean waves and he could not bear anymore, So, he had no option but to sleep forever.

When I looked at his pictures, I was angry at the ocean and the nature for not supporting him in that tough situation, but then isn't nature as innocent as the boy? Nature had given him a beautiful place to live in and nature was not pushing him into the ocean. So why blame nature or why to be angry with it? Then I looked around and found a world with borders and governments and ideologies and interests. A cruel world!! I am not sad to see that Aylan's picture but I am furious! My hatred for Syrian regime, which has killed more than 250,000 people and is bombing their own citizens everyday, has crossed all bounds! The Bashar regime which has tried to kill the popular people's movement which started with the arab spring in 2012, I am angry at the attitude of the arab world which has fueled this war with Islamic extremists! I am angry at the United Nations who have been united in letting the people killed and our children being drowned like that. I am angry at the United states and Europe who have done only lip service against the Syrian regime which has done a genocide of its citizens even with chemical weapons. I am angry at Russia and China who are openly supporting the killings and displacement. I am angry at the Rulers of the Muslim world who have silently watched the butcher killing and displacing their brothers in faith. I am angry at Iran and Saudis who are fighting their proxy war and using the blood of innocent people. I am angry at the humans of the world who have done nothing for their fellow beings.

Those who feel sad about Aylan Kurdi should be ashamed of themselves! Why should one feel sad on an incident that is not a natural phenomena but is because of a completely blood thirsty and interest oriented world that we created. One should feel angry on the world order and the way it is organized on extremism and capitalism! And this anger demands ACTION. It demands appropriate action to change the way this world is being run by the world powers and their puppet rulers. If this incident does not ring bells for you and your still not ready to think and act to change this world then I must say your as much a killer of that boy as the Syrian regime!

There should be no doubt in the minds now that The current Capitalist world order that is coined by the Human mind has failed to deliver peace to humanity, The United nations has failed the world, The principles of pluralism is nothing but a farse, The rhetoric of democracy and human rights is a joke. The Humans are too incapable and too selfish and too biased to make rules that govern humanity.

The question now remains, what is the alternate that we should lookup to? It is quite obvious for those who think rationally. It is clear that the problem is the very concept of nation states and the way world powers run the world with their puppets and proxies. The solution is to overthrow this world order and replace it with a world order which ensures respect of human beings and respect of different religions or cast or creeds. A world order which is united against injustice at any level and is ready to safeguard the world from all the ills not because of their INTERESTS but as an obligation upon them. The alternative is a world order that is defined by the creator of this world for us humans to live as Humanity! The Alternative is Islamic governance which ensured peace and progress for the human mind when implemented in full spirit.

There maybe many people who disagree with this alternative based on their animosity against religion but what they need to agree is, that the current world order based on freedoms and human mind is on the verge of destroying Humanity and this can in no way be acceptable anymore.