Tuesday 31st October 2006
On 2nd November 2006, at 00:54am PKT, Mustafa said:
I believe it is equally important if not more to have Musharraf's response translated. Lets be pragmatic and try to understand what Mushrraf has to say as well and not just pay attention to the sizzle of the matter.
On 2nd November 2006, at 10:54am PKT, Sajjad said:
Mustafa, I totally agree with you. It's just that it took some effort from me to translate this part. I'll have to find more time to do the rest.
On 2nd November 2006, at 20:49pm PKT, kuldeep chopra said:
the part about democracy failing in pakistan has something to do with islam. how many islamic countries are democracies? You go through the history of muslim emperors all over the world and india in particular. there was always a fight for the throne and whosoever came to power killed the brothers/father.this has something to do with muslim psyche.
jinnah the creater of pakistan was not a true muslim. he never went to a mosque, used to drink, married out of caste etc etc
i could go on and on and on
On 23rd November 2006, at 23:54pm PKT, MemphisSlim said:
Musharraf's response is based on fact, but there is something to be said for the vision. Musharraf is a great leader as far as Islamic leaders since the middle 15th century go. But on the world stage, he simply doesn't cut it. He can defend his current actions, but it does nothing to advance the current state of Pakistan. Unlike Vajpayee whose speech "Visions of India" jump-started the future of the country and overhauled the subcontinental politics in to the democratic machine it is today (with a little button-pushing help from Big Brother USA and Israel as well...but the point still stands). Musharraf can speak Urdu, he just chooses to speak in mixed code-switching for the world stage.
The kid was speaking based on emotion and pathos...it was still pretty good. It borders on the great speeches of Henry David Thoreau and Samuel Clemens of American lore. This is a perfect example though, of Pakistani politics spinning its wheels. The only thing this accomplished was establishing freedom of speech in a land where there was none before. Like Musharraf started in his response, "My esteemed guest from Benauri Town, Karachi (referring to Kakakhel) should recognize that it is this man of The Uniform who just gave him the right to speak so openly...if this were a previous administration, many here wouldn't ever know the fate of the person who presented such a criticism."
It is Islam that is throwing a wrench in the gears of democratic change, but it's unfair to point the finger at Muslims of the past. Sure, I agree too, that Jinnah wasn't the great founding father that history writes him in as(nothing even remotely close to George Washington or Thomas Jefferson) but this was his shortcoming as a person...not a Muslim. Drinking alcohol and marrying outside the caste are human weaknesses that affect everyone.
The guy should be blamed more for accosting an entire generation of Muslims to unnecessary blood-shed and being a patsy for the British government.
On 11th November 2007, at 11:07am PKT, Rabab Malik said:
After a year has passed, I was discussing this debate with some lawyer colleagues of mine and you guys know what some of the lawyers are saying?
This guy was the first drop of rain. Earlier, no one had a courage to talk in front of this brutal man, who had no considerations for any human grounds. He did not even spare Dr.A Qadeer.
It was right after this wonderful speech that the opposition started taking on Musharaf more bravely. People started talking openly with no respect to his dictatorship. Then, the lawyers movement to save democracy started. And Musharaf was in hot waters then.
English translation of Musharraf debate
Below is my attempt at translating Syed Adnan's speech that I just blogged about. Since the best part was the delivery of the speech, much of the effect will be lost, in addition to the loss it will suffer through my inexperienced translation. My apologies for that.
Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia, Binori Town, Karachi.
My companions spoke about this topic yesterday and today I will attempt to briefly talk about it in light of those comments.
There is no doubt that our biggest predicament is the lack of unity and oneness of thought, but the question is, why does this deficiency still exist after 58 years have passed. The reason for this is that confusions have been introduced concerning the basic platform of "Pakistan ka matlab kya, La ilaha illallah" (What is the meaning of Pakistan? There is no God, but Allah) that was given to us. According to a systematic plan, it is still being asked on what basis Pakistan was founded and what the Quaid's (founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah's) vision was.
Isn't it all clear? Can you or I answer this question or will it be answered by that generation that built the foundations of Pakistan with their blood? This is an insult to their souls... This is an insult to their souls. This is an insult to their sacrifices. To say that "You sacrificed your lives, but we can't understand what your issue was".
Our second biggest problem is the current law and order situation. And unfortunately, Islam is often held responsible for this. On the contrary, study of the Quran shows that peace and harmony is given utmost importance. Just look at the Prophet Abraham (A.S.)'s prayer. He prays about the economy later, first he asks about peace. He says, "rabbij-a'l haaz'al balada aamina", "O Lord, make this place the cradle of peace". Then he says, "warzuq ahlahu minas samaraat", "And rebuild/develop the economy for those who dwell here". When Allah recounts His rewards, he says to Abraham, "Wa iz ja'alnal baita masabata lin naasi wa amn'a", "We put you where you people may come and go as you wish and which We made into a center of peace and harmony".
This is very clear. The question is why were our peace and solace compromised? How did our youth become a tool for the terrorists? And why day by day, we are sinking into the quick sand of lawlessness? Mr. President, this is a point to be noted. This lesson was not taught to them through any religion. This lesson was not taught to them through any faith. This division of classes, exploitative governance, disregard of talent, hollow education system, unlimited corruption and misuse of authority are those terrifying problems that have pushed the youth to this stage. Solve these problems. Solve these problems and then see if this youth is a terrorist or a peace-loving person.
Our third biggest problem, which is of utmost importance at this moment, is the disregard for democratic customs. Still we have been unsuccessful in implementing a truly democratic culture and respect for the public mandate. Unstable assemblies, rigging of elections, and Mr. President, the custom of bypassing the parliament in important national issues has taken away the public's faith in the current political system.
For this, we must learn a lesson from our neighboring country which Mr. Mushahid recently visited and you Mr. President are about to visit in the near future. Their time of independence and ours is one. We and they have had the same amount of time. Yet they have strengthened their democratic institutions such that no matter what happens, no matter what disaster occurs, the armed forces do not leave the barracks and take over the running of the country.
Similarly, .... Mr. President, I believe that this picture of the Quaid that is hanging in this hall (points towards the large photo on the wall) and that you are standing in front of, is asking you, "General, you are the keeper of the borders. Who has shown you the path to the corridors of power/government?".
Our third biggest problem, is "elite-class economy". Your number wizards are stating that the economy is growing, our reserves are increasing, debts have been reduced, kashkol (begging instrument) is broken. Again and again you state that in the past, we used to go to beg. Now we go to give.
And the public is astonished that while the economy is improving, the poor man's fire is dying out, while foreign exchange reserves are increasing, petrol prices are sky-rocketing. Look at what point the Rupee has devalued to.
One more thing after this. You stated that there is nothing wrong in celebrating Basant (kite-flying festival often chided for being excessively lavish). Islam doesn't forbid sports and actually encourages healthy pastimes. But for God's sake, don't dance on the tombs of the poor and the downtrodden.
Look at what Islam says. If within a house .... it is a strange feeling .... (cutoff by applause.) If you fly a kite on an individual level, nobody will forbid you from it. But when a poor man sees that he is starving while his president is flying a kite, he gets the impression that there is some sort of gap between them. The poor man thinks, .... It feels as if there has been a death in your neighbor's home and you are drumming away (celebrating) next door saying, "I'm free, the loss is yours, not mine". Every faith will tell you to sympathize with him, to be kind and to mourn with him.
In addition, Mr. President, an important thing that we feel is that many problems are made worse by the tone of your voice. You say to the people of Balochistan, "We will strike you from where you won't even know what hit you". These things... You are the elder of this nation. You should speak to us in the same way that you speak to your son Bilal.
.... Mr. President, ... My sister (probably a reference to a previous speaker) talked about the uniform. You yourself said that you will take off the uniform on the 31st October, yet for the "greater good of the people", you broke your promise?
(Just before applause from the audience, Mr. Mushahid states that "Your time is up")
The part where Musharraf speaks is quite lengthy and not as good as this so I won't go into it (not yet anyway). Thank you Sufyan for the corrections.
11:21am