Genie out of bottle - asjad

In our childhood we all heard and read scary-tales about evil ghosts and botalwala gin (genie in a bottle)… one of my elder sister was very good in making and telling scary stories about botalwala gin ….. every time when the story finished and genie went back to the bottle I go for deep breath and say thanks God that it was just the story and we don’t have to deal with botalwala gin in our real life. When I was growing up and did some thoughts on social issues and human behaviors…. I figure out those genies are very much exists in real life and we humans needs to deal with them. But the names of real life genies are not like HabukaWabuka or cheikoma…., they are like Racism, religious exploitation, ethnic/linguistic chauvinism etc… I also figure out that some of these genies are necessary evils and some or just the evils. I also learned that only conscious efforts can restrain these genies in bottles and that effort goes from individual to communal.

At the same time when I was learning these things one evil genie with big boots was already out of the bottle and terrifying everybody and also trying to free other genies like religious extremism, linguistic and ethnic bigotry etc. to destroy every good thing. Later on newly free genies evolving themselves with brand names like Sipah-e-Sahaba,  Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Taliban, and other militant lashkars.

Then all of a sudden big boots genie disappeared in the air and in the village things start recovering little bit and trade name genies feeling orphans but big boot’s power was still protecting those brand name genies...... and then one day big boot come back again with different face and soft image.... that big boot is also gone but the evil power is still haunting the village. Now the question is how to put back these genies in the bottle again? Is that possible for poor health villagers to restrain these strong giants back to bottles? I guess they need big boot’s help to restrain those brand name genies!

Jo bou ga wohi kato ga (As you sow so shall you reap)

“Khada Pita Sain Da – baki Nadir Shahi Da” - meaning of this Punjabi proverb is: whatever you consume from your earning, is yours, but the savings for rainy days and rest of your hard work earning will be looted by Nadir Shah’s Army.

This is still popular expression among old folks in Punjab. Social historians believe that this phrase comes into life during early 18 century when Nadir Shah and other Afghan warriors invaded Northern India year after year and every time when Afghan warriors entered in the cities they looted civilians regardless of there ethnic or religious background and brought the looted assets back to there mountain region of Tribal Areas and Afghanistan. When Mughal Empire (exception to Aurangzaeb’s time) was strong these Afghan warriors stopped invaded India but before and after they kept terrorizing the region, there was short break during Ranjit Singh’s era as well. Actually during Mughals, these Afghan warlords were getting enough from Empire, so they never felt the need for looting. British Empire also had hard time to protect Northern India from Afghan warriors but after several wars they sign treaties with Afghans and in 1883 successfully they established Durand Line as international boundaries.

Until 1980 it was more or less respected by all sides. In 1980s Pakistani army & CIA jointly initiated proxy war against socialist Afghan government to protect US interests in the region. In this ghost war they exploited Islam to motivate non-state actors to start terror against Afghan and Russian troops. Around the world, (brainwashed) youngsters brought into the region to start US sponsored terror against Afghan socialist government but majority of them were local Afghans and Pakistanis illiterate fanatics. This was the big blow for non state actors to grow larger then state power in the region. Durand Line was disrespected by CIA, Pakistan Army and militant jehadis for over 20 years. That is also a historic fact that the USSR did big mistake for entering there troops in Afghanistan. After USSR left Afghanistan and US also stop taking the interest in the country, then Pakistan Army found this golden opportunity to control entire Afghanistan and they did this successfully for number of years (through Talaban). With this mess, the arrangement of modern history, where boundaries were respected was jeopardize on the hands of non-state actors. Now the status of Durand Line is backed to before 1883 era.

In the year 2001 after 9/11 world was changed and Pakistan was forced to take ‘U” turn against there own creation, the beasts called Jehadi Talaban. These newly orphans were not raised to respect Durand Line or any other rules of Islam or civilized world. Now where we are? Are we going back to 18th century situation again? The time when some of the reliable Muslims clerics of Punjab and Northern India used to invite Afghans to invade India on the name of protecting Islam but once they reached, only scars of atrocity left behind.

Great Punjabi intellectual of that time Bulleh Shah was also among the critics of those Muslim clerics they supported Afghan warriors:
"Mullah te mashalch, donu iko chit Loka karday chanan, aap andheray wich” (The mullah and the torch-bearer Hail from the same stock They give light to others, And themselves are in the dark.) "Sach kanda bhanbhar balda nain”.

Unfortunately the masses never stand against terror on the name of Allah and unfortunately elite class of that time was also a part of that atrocity on there own people – this brought into the situation when everybody in Punjab was saying: “Khada Pita Sain Da – baki Nadir Shahi Da”
The moral of this story is: Jo bou ga wohi kato ga (As you sow so shall you reap)

Can we stop Pakistan falling on the hands of Terror?

Most of the people like me strongly believe, that the danger, state of Pakistan and its citizens are facing today is the direct result of there own policies during and after Afghan-Soviet war of 80s. Pakistani agencies and CIA created and trained these so-called jehadi savage groups to fight against Russians and later on we used them to control entire Afghanistan and then we tried to convert some of them towards neighbor hostile state. Other then USA and western world, Saudi Arab was the main sponsor of this evil adventure of 80s. To make Saudis happy these militant groups were trained with the coating of the fanatic interpretation of Wahabi Islam. After 9/11 under the pressure of USA and international community, Pakistan government (reluctantly) did “U” turn and they turn their guns against there own pets. At this point, the history changed and Bin Laden and his disciples took solo leadership position of these groups. After US war on Iraq and other foreign policies of President Bush, the public opinion in Saudi and other Muslim countries went further in favor of Al-Qaida/Jehadis. Generosity of rich Saudis and some other Muslims made these groups more resourceful and brutal. At now the terrorists are the loose network of three types of forces: a) Fanatics b) Lunatics c) Criminals. With this un-holly marriage, now the situation is that all these evil groups are out of control under the tent of Jehades.

This was very brief background. The question is - how to fix this mess and stop the nuclear power nation Pakistan falling in the hands of lunatics, fanatics and criminals?

The answers or discussions on the issue from different corners I am getting at this time are:

Pakistani Media: Major segment of them portrays soft corner for terrorists, most of them are suggesting that it is not our war because we don’t have this situation before US invasion of Afghanistan. They are suggesting don’t do any operation against them, you should negotiate with them. Some of the media anchors provoke government to take military action against the people they challenge the writ of the state. But when government takes action they flip into other side and criticizing government for killing there own people. (Lal-Masjid incident and tribal area military operations are the best fit examples of this).

Politicians: Other then present ruling party and his allies, majority of political parties taking the same position as media. Because this is the popular lines and it gives them easy fame.

General population: Because of the poor performance and bad governance of governments, they are not very much standing in back of any government but overall they are divided and confused. Majority of them believe on conspiracy theories that USA and India is playing all the evil game and our nukes are the target. But recent terrorist attacks in Punjab cities might change there attitude.

I think: Pakistanis have lot of potential, they can comeback safely out of this deadly situation. Regardless of there differences, the nation has to unit on this issue and as a first step they have to put pressure on media and political/religious leaders and there schools not to be sympathetic with these terrorist groups. Pakistan Army and political governments have to make it there number one priority and they should attack first on there supply lines, especially cash flow from rich Saudis etc., and on the basis of efficient intelligence network they should attack there leadership with iron hands on there sanctuaries, no matter those sanctuaries are in mosques or in madrasas in big cities or in mountains. At this time it feels me that Pakistan is bleeding badly and no-body is there to rescue this poor body.

With big hope that this situation will change – asjad