Anti-Musharraf campaign
I would hardly be classified as a supporter of Musharraf. In fact, I despise his , or any non-autonomous foreign policy, as well as his dismissive attitude towards both local and international law. Yet, the fact remains that the recent crisis and protests against Musharraf are of inherently racist nature - as Pakistani politics largely has been since the dictator Ayub Khan's time.
Ethno-centric nationalism is a vile tree whose seeds were planted and cultivated by Ayub Khan and successive governments and political parties. By introducing concepts such as the "son of the soil" - thereby alienating those that made tremendous sacrifices and immigrated to Pakistan - and inciting hate through other policies and public speeches, Ayub Khan introduced an evil attitude within Pakistani society on an official level. Instead of fraternal bondage, there was state-sponsored hate incitement and socio-economic and political injustice to certain groups of people along ethnic lines (i.e. Bengalis, Baloch, Mohajirs). That very attitude led to the shift of the national capital from Karachi, led to the split of the country in 1971, led to over a quarter of a million Pakistanis being stranded in Bangladesh to this very day in squalid conditions, led to resources being taken from relatively neglected areas of the country (ie. Balochistan and Sindh) and used in other areas, amongst a seemingly endless list.
Looking at the furious protests and rallies, one cannot help but wonder where they were when civilian governments of Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto were blatantly raping the country's coffers and their gangsters were running amok, terrorising, killing and looting civilians?
Where were the protest and rallies when Nawaz Sharif fired the Chief Justice at the time and his goons ransacked the Supreme Court and attacked lawyers inside? Why is it that the reaction was so different when Musharraf did so?
Where were the protests and rallies when Nawaz Sharif attempted to murder dozens of people on a civilian aircraft? Why is he still supported by so many? How could the man not be brought to court over corruption and attempted murder, much less run for office?
Where were the protests and rallies when, during the governments of Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, thousands of young men were indiscriminately being arrested, tortured, castrated and killed in Karachi when security forces unleashed a systematic terror campaign, under the pretext of stamping down on "terrorists" (title given to political activists)?
Why is Benazir Bhutto, who has an arrest warrant on her head in various countries, still supported by so many? She should be brought to court and convicted for all of her crimes, instead of running for office.
The truth is that Musharraf, in spite of being a military man, is relatively soft. Compare Musharraf's time in power with that of Ayub Khan (military) and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (civilian) - during both, thousands of protestors were brutally gunned down in Karachi.
A similar type of repression has not been seen under Musharraf. General Zia ul-Haq ruled with an iron fist - as expected from a military ruler - and gave no signs of budging (much to the anxiety of communists and quiet anxiety of the West). General Musharraf has at least paid lip service to relinquish his uniform, thus acknowledging that not all is completely "halaal".
All signs point to the fact that Musharraf is of a certain ethnic background as an inherent motivating factor to the current situation - and that is something I can never support, regardless of my feelings towards him and his form of governance.
In the mean time, Pakistan continues to overwhelmingly prove that it is a "failed state" that was made by secular elites and feudal lords - for the benefit of secular elites and feudal lords, under the guise of religion. While neighbouring India is looking to the future and making preparations to land an astronaut on the moon (perhaps in 2008), Pakistan continues to dwell in the past with its democratic institutions challenged time and time again by corrupt civilian dictators or the military - a story being nauseatingly repeated since shortly after its conception.
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