سیاسی قضیے: اتوار 11 مارچ، 2018
ایک جانور بھی کسی جگہ رہتا ہے تو اسے اس جگہ سے کچھ نہ کچھ لگاؤ ہو جاتا ہے۔ مگر یہ پاکستان کیسا ملک ہے، اس کے اشرافی طبقات کو ستر برس بعد بھی اس ملک، اس کی زمین، اس کے لوگوں سے ذرا بھی تعلق نہیں۔ ملک کی سیاست اور معیشت پر نظر ڈالیں تو یوں محسوس ہوتا ہے کہ جیسے مالِ غنیمت کو لوٹنے کی دوڑ لگی ہوئی ہے، اور یہی وہ سبب ہے کہ ہر ادارہ سیاسی ریشہ دوانیوں سے گہنایا ہوا ہے۔
زیادہ دور نہیں جاتے۔ صرف گذشتہ دو حکومتوں کو پیشِ نظر رکھ لیں، یعنی پیپلز پارٹی اور حالیہ مسلم لیگ ن کی حکومت۔ ابھی اس قضیے کو رہنے دیتے ہیں کہ انھوں نے کیا کیا اور ان کی کارکردگی کیسی رہی۔ ابھی صرف یہ دیکھتے ہیں کہ ان کے ساتھ کیا کچھ کیا جاتا رہا۔ غالباً انھیں ایک …
سیاسی قضیے: منگل 6 مارچ، 2018
چند برس قبل، میں نے پاکستان میں بائیں بازو کی جماعتوں کی مختلف دستاویزات دوبارہ دیکھنی شروع کیں، جن میں ان کی طرف سے شائع ہونے والے تجزیات، رپورٹیں، سالانہ جائزے، وغیرہ، شامل تھے۔ یہ چیزیں میرے پاس پہلے سے دستیاب تھیں، کیونکہ میں خود بائیں بازو سے وابستہ رہا تھا۔
ان دستاویزات کے مطالعے کے دوران، جس چیز نے مجھے اپنی طرف متوجہ کیا، وہ ’’آئین‘‘ کے ذکر کا مفقود ہونا تھا۔ ان میں قریب قریب تمام دستاویزات 1973 کے بعد سے تعلق رکھتی تھیں، مگر ان کے پس منظر میں ’’آئین‘‘ کہیں موجود نہیں تھا۔ مثال کے طور پر، پاکستان سوشلسٹ پارٹی، یا مزدور کسان پارٹی کی دستاویزات۔
کیا یہ حیران کن امر نہیں!
سوال یہ ہے کہ کیا آئین کو سامنے رکھے بغیر، کوئی سیاسی گفتگو بامعنی ہو سکتی ہے، خواہ آئین کو تبدیل کرنے کی بات ہی کیوں نہ ہو …
This April a bill was submitted in the National Assembly which is yet another attempt to make the citizens of Pakistan “loyal” to it. The bill seeks to amend the Article 63 of the Constitution – an article that sets the criteria for the members of parliament and provincial assemblies. The bill requires that any person who holds dual nationality and owns bank accounts and assets in countries other than Pakistan will not be able to be a member of the parliament and provincial assemblies as well as public service, both civil and military. It ensued from the womb of Muslim League (Q). Leaving aside the doubts whether it is part of a political ploy or a trick of political blackmailing, the bill needs to be examined on its merits.
This article does not aim to dwell on the issue of dual nationality. The same
“I am a politician; I cannot commit any crime; I am perfectly innocent!”
That is how, as we know at least in Pakistan, politicians argue. That manner of political self-defense clears the two-way traffic: criminals may become politicians; and, politicians may become criminals. Pakistanis have enough of both. And the breed is multiplying like rabbits. All the more, species belonging to other realms of social, economic, military, cultural, religious have started aping the politicians. They have learned the art of politics from them. That’s a hundred percent fool-proof method of overcoming any odds.
Also, that has rendered all the systems of accountability inefficacious. Why? Because, and it is awfully baffling that, all the systems of accountability are conceived, detailed and legislated by the criminal politicians or political criminals. Who can forget the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO)? And it is these politicians, tainted with criminality, who appoint the heads to these
…
Note: This article was completed on December 31st, 2014, and was originally posted on this Blog in January 2015.
Presently there is happening quite a serious debate on the 20 points envisaged in the National Action Plan. Its thrust is on two points:
i) All these measures should have been in their place since long as a matter of routine, probably from the day first when Pakistan came to exist; and,
ii) Due to the past negligence of the governments, doubts and questions are being raised about the efficacy of these measures.
The argument the present writer aims to make is a bit different; he wants to propose a 21st point to be added to the NAP, which focuses on overhauling the state. Let’s be precise in judging: It’s the state that played havoc with the society of Pakistan, and now
So to say, in about 70 years, the political gains Pakistan’s polity has been able to make are dismal! Pessimistically, it’s NOTHING! Optimistically, it’s merely the Constitution that itself came to be agreed upon about 25 years after the country’s emergence on the map of the world. That casts a heavy doubt on the credence of Pakistan’s polity. Politically speaking, things stand in the same mould now they stood on the first day. The final verdict on the quality of the Pak polity may thus be worded: The citizens still live at their own risk in a country which is consuming itself by its own pseudo-nationalist, religious, militarist rhetoric!
No wrangling, the fact is that no politician and no political party find the constitution and its provisions tolerable to their will and temperament; they trample them whenever they see any of it
Note: This article was completed on August 4, 2014. Since then little has changed; this piece is still relevant on this 68th Independence Day.
Stray reflections on the 67th Independence Day
For the sane in Pakistan the fight is about protecting the values, the humanity has developed in the course of thousands of years, from the political and religio-political witchcraft, which it is intent upon destroying thoughtlessly. How the time-tested values were trashed (and are being trampled even this moment) when Pakistan came into being is a saga of ruthless fights between the politicians continuing to this very day, the August 14.
The greatest deceptive lessons the politicians taught the citizens derive their justification from the misconception that a state may be based on this or that faith, or ideology. That also hints at the infatuation that a theocratic state is a
Years back, I sent an article titled, “Nationalization of social and moral values in Pakistan,” to a newspaper. It did publish but with entirely a different title. The new title, “A state that took over society” aptly described what that article was about. Now when I want to write about the destruction of our cities by the political elites in their bid to impress the citizens as voters, I cannot think of a better title than the present one. First I thought of this one: “Preserving the older cities.” However, both the titles communicate what this article argues about. First, the political elites are destroying our cities; and, second, we need to preserve our cities and their age-old soul.
As far as the concept of cities prevailing in our society is concerned, it needs to be reminded that cities are not a
The cities and suburbs of Pakistan are bursting with millions of teeming citizens, old and young, men and women and children alike. They earn their livelihood by small selling of goods or services which unimaginably involves hard labor with meager income. Or they are employed by private entrepreneurs who have to incessantly struggle against the vagaries of state’s regulators and tax officials. They form the larger chunk of a population of 18 million plus. It is they who cast vote to send a political party in the parliament, but cherish no hope this will ameliorate their life conditions they know from their past experience. This is one side of the picture.
The other side reveals itself in the headlines of the daily newspapers and news channels. One newspaper’s headline reads as: army chief pays morale boosting visit to ISI HQ (Inter-Services Intelligence Headqarters). Another headline says: defense ministry seeks cancellation
Here is the media release:
New book – “Pakistan’s Democratic Impasse” published
The book indicts politicians as the main culprit for failing the state of Pakistan
The book falsifies the myth of blaming the Pakistan Army for the ills Pakistanis facing
Author argues constitution authorizes politicians to rule, not the Army
Lahore April 8, 2014: Alternate Solutions Institute released today Dr. Khalil Ahmad’s new book, Pakistan’s Democratic Impasse – Analysis and the Way Forward. Already this in 2012 and this February, he has published three books, “Pakistan Mein Riyasti Ashrafiya Ka Urooj” (The Rise of State Aristocracy in Pakistan, February 2012), “Siyasi Partian Ya Siyasi Bandobast: Pakistani Siyasat Ke Pech-o-Khum Ka Falsafiyani Muhakma” (Political Parties Or Political Arrangements: A Philosophical Critique of the Intricacies of Pakistani Politics, July 2012), and, Pakistani Kashakash: Tehleel-O-Tadeel aur Aagay Barhany ka Rasta (Pakistani Armageddon: Analysis,
…
