Poet of the East
Zan Jifang

TShamim Ahmad

The universe produced so many outstanding personalities in this mortal world who rendered
unprecedented services for the betterment of the people. It is due to this fact that they
remain alive in the hearts of their nations forever. Allama Iqbal is one of them who did
similar feat in his life by giving the sense of realization to the Muslims of South Asia to
acquire freedom from the dual yoke of the British and the Hindus. His concept of freedom was
based on the fact that the British became the new ruler of India after the fall of Mughal
empire who left no stone unturned to harm the Muslims in every field of life in connivance
with the Hindus just to strengthen their rule in the subcontinent.

Since then, the Muslims of South Asia began their struggle to get rid of these two powerful
forces under the guidance of their active leaders from time to time. Allama Iqbal’s name is
included among the top leaders of Pakistan Movement who played an unique role in inspiring
and guiding the Muslims towards the path of independence.

Allama Iqbal is recognized as a great philosopher, visionary and the Poet of the East all
over the world. The 129th birth anniversary of this great person was commemorated yesterday
throughout the country by paying him rich tribute for his outstanding contribution in the
creation of Pakistan.

Allama lqbal was born on 9th of November, 1877 at Sialkot. He took an active part in the
Indian politics after completion of his education. He work up the Muslims of South Asia from
their slumber through his poetry. The nation is proud of Allama lqbal as he not only gave
the concept of Pakistan but also utilized his poetic genius for realization of his aim. He
called for Muslim unity.

Allama Iqbal was the first leader of South Asia who presented a comprehensive scheme for the
partition of India at the 21st session of All India Muslim League held at Allahabad on 29th
December, 1930.

His scheme gave a concrete idea of formation of a separate Muslim State in Muslim majority
areas where they could lead their lives according to the teachings of Islam.

Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah went to reside in England permanently after his dream of
Hindu-Muslim unity did not materialize. Similarly, Allama Iqbal also went to England in 1931
to participate in the Roundtable Conference as the representative of the Muslims of the
subcontinent. The conference unfortunately ended in smoke. Failure of the conference was
another major blow which disappointed the Quaid-i-Azam and he settled permanently in
England. In the meantime, the Muslims of India were in search of a proper leader for
safeguarding their genuine rights at every front. Allama lqbal saw real qualities of
leadership in Mr Jinnah, who could only take the Muslims out of the state of frustration.
He, therefore, requested him to return to India from England and join the Muslim League for
the cause of oppressed Muslims of the subcontinent. Quaid-i-Azam agreed and returned to
India in 1934.

Since then, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah started working hard to accomplish the dream
which Allama Iqbal expressed in his historical address of Allahabad for a separate Muslim
State.

The message of Iqbal gave courage to the people at the critical stage to overcome their
despondency and hopelessness to win the battle of freedom.

Allama Iqbal served the people through his innumerable qualities of leadership, He will be
remembered by the nation forever for his glorious services in creation of Pakistan in
particular, and creation of harmony and tolerance in society in general, through elimination
of sectarianism according to the teachings of Islam. November 9, reminded us to seek
guidance from the message of Iqbal to achieve the real objective of freedom for which
Pakistan was acquired in the name of Islam.


Elections, politicians and the society
Muhammad Ahsan Yatu

A seminar on how to ensure free and fair elections was recently held in Islamabad. The
participants included parliamentarians from the opposition. They did not speak much on the
subject. They were sure that the coming elections would be rigged; hence, no advantage in
discussing a predetermined thing. However, they did speak on the army`s civil and corporate
role, corruption, rising prices, rising incomes of the rulers and rising poverty.

All of them were puzzled over the overwhelming silence that has gripped society. It was an
interesting coincidence that their speeches ended on an identical question, "Why are the
people not rising against an extortionist regime?" It is a relevant question, but when
politicians raise it, it reflects a fatigued mind. Another relevant question is about the
fatigue itself. Is it due to external pressures, such as fear of the military-led state`s
coercion, or the result of internal weaknesses, or a natural outcome of taking politics as
an electoral exercise only?

Politics is the art of management of society and state. Its key components are wisdom,
selflessness, tolerance, purpose, commitment, dialogue and action. It is not unstructured
hitting and shooting. It is not the generals` job. Nor do bureaucrats qualify for it. They
are recruited against specific jobs with limited liabilities. A politician is not an
employee. He is a volunteer for the highest purpose. He is responsible to the entire nation.
And by the same logic, the nation is his responsibility. That is why whether he is in
opposition or in power, wins elections or not, he is never on vacation. As long as he lives,
he is committed to the people. He is not on holiday even when the nation is under autocratic
control. He must resist all those things that are anti-people.

Until and unless politicians know what politics means and how sacred it is, whatever the
situation, they will remain mentally fatigued. The same is true for others. Until and unless
military and civil administrations know about the necessity and worth of politics,
uncertainty and turbulence will continue. Things do not stop here. The dilemma is much, much
bigger. In the absence of politics, society is usually left with no choice but to live with
obsessions. And that is fatal for all.

In a society like ours that has been depoliticised from the periphery to the core by a union
of the army, the administration, the so-called politicians, the stalwarts, the rich, the
land grabbing mafias and the religious extremists, if the people do not talk, there is
nothing strange in it. They do not read either. Nor do they gaze. With hands up, mouths shut
and eyes down, they simply live on. It is how the suppressed behave when time is not on
their side! Has history gone into hibernation?


Pakistani society stands depoliticised, because the people have no participation in
governance. True, they never had any, but the feeling of participation existed. Even General
Zia`s rule, when the political polarisation was at its peak, was not an exception. Some
would own his government, others would not. The feelings of participation were at the
highest during Zulfikar Ali Bhutto`s regime and least during General Ayub`s rule, and there
are none during the present regime.

As if the enormous presence of religious extremists and the absence and opportunism of the
political leadership were not enough, the devolution of power plan acted as one more
instrument of the vested interests. It has engaged such individuals who had seeds of active
politics in them. It is what individualisation of society means. It is a great service done
to the army, the administration and the rich. It has minimised the commitment that the
people had with politics, collectivism and nationalism.

A depoliticised society is essentially a marginalised society. Never before were people so
helpless, hapless and hopeless; never before the administration was so strong, so corrupt
and so callous; never before did the army act so openly as a corporation; never before were
the people robbed of whatever they had in the manner as was done in recent years.

A depoliticised society is not a dead society. Human genes are not closed boxes. For
survival, society creates good or bad and its own dynamics. People do talk, read and react.
Has anybody thought about silent cries? On the governance side, prolonged and unchecked
concentration of power causes the degeneration of the powerful from within.
De-politicisation also means politicisation of the organs of the state. For some time, it
enhances the authority of state functionaries, but eventually it brings disaster to all,
particularly when a seemingly silent society is busy in creating its own dynamics.

Pre-1968 Pakistan, in a national perspective, was a depoliticised country. General Ayub Khan
and his stalwarts were in total command. No political bond existed to connect a society that
was full of diversities and was also divided by a one thousand miles distance. In such
settings, on the one hand, the rulers and the rich were busy in celebrating a decade of
their rule and prosperity and, on the other, the people, who were otherwise silent for many
decades, were searching for the means to get rid of suppression and poverty. The majority
found the way out in separation. The rest may find a way out now. History is not in
hibernation. New or old, good or bad, it is in the making.

In Emperor Raza Shah Pehlvi`s Iran, the situation was almost similar. The political forces
stood crushed. The clergy filled the political space and transformed itself into a
formidable force. Imam Khomeini`s revolution was the outcome. In Pakistan, the space created
by de-politicisation was filled by the broad-based religious right. The clergy is its face,
and its roots are everywhere, in the army, the bureaucracy, the rich, the intellectuals, the
racists, the mafias and the masses. If its strength continues to grow at the present pace,
it is likely to assume power in the Centre also. Almost all of us, from an astrophysicist to
a primary school dropout, have an obsession, a vision, and that is to revive our `glorious
past`. The time for the fulfilment of that vision is not that far.

The British were not stupid. India was not their country. They knew that they would have to
leave it one day. They could have ruled it without introducing political activism in Indian
society. The feudals, the tribal chiefs, the businessmen, the peers, the maulvis, the
pundits, a huge army comprising mostly Indians, and to some extent even the people were with
them. Yet they created two political parties, the Indian National Congress and All India
Muslim League. They did so because they knew that politics is vital for the present-day
state. The question of all questions is, are we interested in making Pakistan a present-day
state? What one can conclude from the discussions in seminars, workshops, newspapers,
e-media, streets and drawing rooms is that we do want to live in a present-day state, but
simultaneously want to keep our mind fixed to our tribal past.

That is why it is not strange that in spite of spending so long a time in Britain during her
studies and earlier exile, Benazir Bhutto did not learn anything from the British political
system, and our army that was founded by the British on the British model never respected
constitutional discipline. When Musharraf says he is a successful president because of his
military training and discipline, it is a reflection of his tribal manners.

A discussion on where and how he violated the constitutional discipline and when and where
he failed does not matter much. What matters is his prolonged and unchecked rule. What
matters is to check the ongoing societal dynamics by giving society a constructive
direction. What matters is the return of Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and Altaf Hussain.

The Iranian Revolution had one identity, and that led to the emergence of theocratic
democracy, in which the mechanism for a peaceful shift to pure democracy exists. In
Pakistan, the rule of the religious right will mean control of undefined theocracy,
undisciplined militarism, wayward bureaucracy, racism and individualism. It will be
anarchic. It will be absolute disaster.

True, Benazir, Altaf and Nawaz are also fatigued, but there is no denying that they are the
only effective and acceptable politicians — acceptable to a Punjabi-Mohajir dominated
establishment — who may succeed in changing the current societal dynamics. For the
president`s part, if his pragmatism could embrace the ineffective politicians with no better
record either, why cannot it embrace the ones who may deliver? Let us hope the president
acts as a politician and turns to pro-people pragmatism, and the effective leaders return,
and return with a bit of British political system in their brains. Let us hope it happens!
Only angels have the answer to these questions.



Widow burning
Amjed Jaaved

Sati is a Hindu custom which requires a widow to be burnt alive on her husband’s pyre. One wonders if its is a religious custom, or a customary murder. The idea justifying sati is that women are worthless without their husbands (no status as individuals).
The custom was banned by Mughals and then by Lord Wiliam Bentinck in 1829. Following its widespread resurgence, it was, again and again banned (in 1956, 1981, and 1987) with little practical effect.
The general belief and customary practise in India is that sati, if voluntary, is permissible. Indian courts also subscribe to this view _ After nine years of hearing, the court acquitted 37 men accused of forcing the 18-year-old Roop Kanwar to commit sati in Deorala (Rajasthan) on September 4, 1987.
Incidents of sati still continue to happen in India with state administration’s connivance. For instance, no FIR was registered when ‘a woman, Janakrani, 45, allegedly committed sati by jumping into the funeral pyre of her husband at Tulsipur village, about 80 km from Sagar’ (“Woman commits sati in Madhya Pradesh , Sify, August 22, 2006). Earlier, an Indian woman Sita Devi, aged 77 years, was thrown on the funeral pyre of her husband at Siddhpur village of Gaya district (Patna) in Indian state of Bihar (sify.com, April 24, 2006). A 70-year-old woman Ramkumari was burnt alive in similar manner at Bahundari village, 60 km from Banda (Uttar Pradesh) in May 2005.
The NGOs claim that the widows do not voluntarily jump into the fire. It is the pundits (religious leaders) who motivate, drug or bribe them to perform sati. Ram Kumari’s son had complained to reporters that ‘he had approached Jaspur police station to inform about the forced sati but was turned away after being threatened with dire consequences if he revealed anything about it’.
Those who attend the sati ceremony protest that the NGOs have no right to question them about their worship (puja)._Sati finds mention in Mahabharata- (a) Sati was the consort of Lord Shiva. She burnt herself in fire as protest against her father, Daksha. Daksha did not give her consort Shiva the respect she thought he deserved. (b) Madri throws herself on her husband, Pandu’s fire.
The police view, as upheld by judicial decisions is that sati, if voluntary, is no offence- Police officers say, ‘According to the Indian Penal Code, sati is an offence only when the burning of a woman on her husband’s pyre is accompanied by fanfare and celebration. If no witness comes forward to testify that a widow’s self-immolation is abetted by other villagers, no offence has taken place”.
Besides sati, there are other mediaeval rites, no less gory, still being practised in India. For instance, on Jun 25, 2005, a four-year-old girl, named Surjo, was boiled in a tub and then beheaded to please gods of rain as part of a religious sacrifice in Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh).
The police authorities say, “In a country where sons are sold for paisa 25, such events cannot be foreseen or forestalled”. The police were referring to sale of a son for paisa 25 in Malda district’s Biddhannagar colony (Calcutta-West Bengal). Forced by hunger, the destitute parents sold their only son for food items (like rice and a little turmeric), valued at paisa 25 a month ago. Having failed to get below-poverty-line ration card, the family had only two options, either to kill the baby or sell him to a relatively better-off family. The incident was focused in leading Indian newspapers like Telegraph, Indian Express and Times of India.
India is a country where over 300 million people live below the hypothetical poverty line of $ 1 a day. Life being cheap (or valueless for a widow), people like to end it by religious sacrifices, forced or voluntary, or by eating pesticides in the farms.