Friday, April 29, 2011

Pakistani Revolution: The great Game and the Present Reality of Pakistan

What is the present reality of Pakistan? This question should be answered and the answer to this question should be properly understood by the people of Pakistan.

Many people ask whether or not a revolution can occur in Pakistan? The answer is Pakistan is already undergoing a revolution. What then is this revolution?

A revolution like the French revolution , occurs when masses revolt against the rulers, with the help of a middle class. This kind of revolution is not possible in Pakistan, for masses are not contacted by the middle class. Middle class in Pakistan is facing unrest and problems, and they are weary of this situation, but they are not able to organize themselves to fight for the rights of their class. The proof for this can be found in Karachi, where traders and businessmen are facing problems in the hands of Mafia and government.Bourgeois(The capitalist as a middle class, for in Pakistan upper class is establishment and aristocracy) in Pakistan are not prepared to contact the lower class to confront elites.

These bourgeois , mostly traders and businessman. are agitating and recording their discontent, but they are not intellectually guided by any ideology that serves as a necessary and essential element in revolutions. Middle class in Pakistan is not literate enough to cause a revolution; neither they are politically and intellectually organized to protect the rights and existence of their community.

However, in Pakistan revolution is brought by aristocracy. Aristocracy , since it holds the electoral power and masses are with them, therefore with the help of masses , now they are able to challenge the establishment to grab some power out of their hands. In Pakistan , right from the day of its inception, establishment had the power, and they had imposed several marshal laws in the country and set bureaucratic governments. Aristocracy, not withstanding the fact that they control the masses, traditionally have never had a share in the state power commensurate to their stature.However, after the elections of 2008 things started changing and Aristocracy also gained some power.

In 2008, aristocracy joined hands and formed a coalition government. Pakistani aristocracy comprised feudal and barons , who exercise great influence in their property and fife. These landlords are heading the agricultural economy of Pakistan and in each election they get elected without any opposition from the middle or lower class. So , in Pakistan vote goes to these landlords alone. And despite their ability to gain votes, they have never enjoyed a decisive power in the country.

After the elections of 2008, these aristocrats snatched some power from the establishment, and this was made possibly by American thinkers like John Kerry, Richard Holbrook and other senators and congressman working for Pakistan.

So Pakistani revolution actually shifted some powers from the establishment towards the political aristocracy. Aristocracy , on the other hand , tried its best to reconcile their differences , and they did not use state machinery against each other this time. This strategy worked , and by now political aristocracy has gained a lot of space and power in Pakistan. Now establishment has also realized that they are not the only power center in Pakistan ; aristocracy also has power.

So, Pakistan is right now a battle ground of aristocracy and establishment, and in case aristocracy decides to have some decisive edge over the establishment, the establishment will react. But till now no signs of this reaction are apparent; for the political leadership is following a reconciliation policy.

President Zardari, when he came in power, clearly mentioned that he is going to follow his own philosophy, and no other insitution is going to play the role of Plato in Pakistan; Zardari said that he himself is Plato. And becoming the new philosopher and Plato of Pakistan, Zardari stuck to reconciliation politics, in which differences are not to be suppressed , but be allowed to exist side by side.

Zardari's philosophy gave political powers a great chance to get organized, but since political powers also have mutual differences, and on certain occasions differences with the establishment, therefore violence is ripe in Pakistan.

Each day many Pakistanis die due to the clashes between political parties, between political forces and establishment and between political activists and masses of different race and ethnicity . In Baluchistan liberation army kills civilians from other provinces, and government, according to its reconciliation politics , does not react. On the other hand politicians don't condemn these killings and say that this a reaction of long standing political suppression.

In Karachi dozens of people die each day in target killings and gang wars. But government does not react and does not use state machinery to stop this violence; that is because of the reconciliation philosophy of President Zardari. Each day Pakistanis die in drone attacks and terror incidents, but the government does not react , for it thinks and believes that powers should not be suppressed, and should be left alone to subside by themselves.

Pakistani government, according to some citizens does not even argue with international powers like America and India who are interfering in Baluchistan and other provinces. Neither they argue with the Arab governments who have a great influence over the religious organizations, who are responsible for sectarian violence and religious extremism.

This means that right now in Pakistan there are all sorts of powers, both internal and external acting to guard their interests in the region. External powers include America, India, China , Iran, and Arab countries. Pakistan government has reconciled with these powers , however,  on certain issues differences are also seen.

So, Pakistan is not in the hands of one power right now; it is in the hands of Pakistani political aristocracy, establishment, India, China, America, Iran and the Middle East; each power exercising its influence in the country. On the other hand ,President Zardari, since he does not want to engage a power in conflict with the state of Pakistan, does not react against anything, any infringement in the independence of Pakistan by external or internal powers. That is how he is able to reconcile with these powers with differing interests.

Middle east is acting against Iran with the help of America. Jindullah is a clear example of this cooperation. Jindullah is a terrorist organization funded by these powers; and that terrorist party is organized within the borders of Pakistan. Iran backs shia community in Pakistan against the sectarian violence funded by Arab states.

India is interfering in Baluchistan and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwah through Afghanistan, and they exercise a lot of influence in Baluchistan, where each day several Pakistanis die. America is active everywhere and directly interferes in government matters.

But by chance, Pakistan has the answer to all this great game of politics, in the form of President Zardari, who is smarter than any other politician or thinker, and who has really steered Pakistan through this ocean of problems, notwithstanding the fact that Pakistanis have a very low opinion of him.

His reconciliation politics will one day brought a real reconciliation in which all the differences will be automatically resolved; however, Pakistanis fear that in waiting for that day their own freedom can also be resolved.

So, the best things that Pakistanis can do , is to think in terms of the need of the day, and that need is to reconcile. However, in this reconciliation, for it goes beyond the limits of law and constitution , government at times allegedly goes against the constitution. In Pakistan on the other hand , due to judicial activism, constitution is considered as a categorical imperative, and no consequential interpretation of its laws is accepted. And Zaradari's government has to answer the supreme court , each day on many issues which in the eyes of the supreme court, and very rightly so, are transgressions from the constitution. These include NRO, formation of an independent election commission, appointment of judges and so on and so forth.

So , Pakistan is passing through a phase in which there are so many powers are acting against each other, with their own ideas and interests. And in this situation a government that does not have the power to respond with power, has only one choice left, and that is of reconciliation. And this is the only way out of these problems.  

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