The JJ alliance

In the bygone days we read about how Pakistan army orchestrated alliances with Islamists  to win a war in Afghanistan. In those days, Pakistan was the breeding and training ground for the warriors in Afghanistan. Islamic parties sponsored money and men in hope of controlling the future of Afghanistan, while the United State backed the ISI in the delicate balancing act of forging a relationship between the CIA, and Mullahs (i.e. Islamist).

This is one of the darkest chapters in Pakistan history, with effects that will haunt this country for many generations to come. This was the period when fundamentalism was forcefully used for seeking strategic national interests. The army supported the mullahs by giving them power, while Mullahs in turn supported by providing men willing to sacrifice their lives. We passed through the 1980s as the MM (Mullah-Military) alliance aggrandized into a hegemony. Unfortunately, some parts of this alliance went out of control and are today wrecking the country.

Apart from this MM alliance, a new alliance has also developed. This is the JJ (Judges-Journalists) alliance. This JJ alliance is weakening the already fractured democracy by discussing accusation against politicians (especially PPP politicians) without any legal proofs or justification. Anchors with weak information source, biased opinions, cynical outlook, and elongated rhetoric try to influence and distort the psyche of the common people as well as the Pakistani judiciary. These judges play a complementary role, similar to that of Mullahs, by giving such news bites excessive credence. This excessive credence leads to a series of suo motto (self taken) notices in which the judiciary discriminates specific politicians highlighted by clairvoyant journalist. The JJ alliance mechanism works as follows:

JJ alliance mechanism

A millionaire journalist blabbers on his talk show or scribbles words in his column. The judges read the column and correspondingly order the politicians to come to the court. The politicians begs for mercy, as if he was surely guilty.

Doing an utilitarian analysis will prove that the JJ alliance is quadruple capital gains for individuals. The millionaire journalist gains extra rating, his newspaper or TV channel gains new viewer-ship making his boss happier. The judges also gain public courtesy, as in Pakistan we supposedly allege politicians for all wrongs (an idea infused by the military establishment in Pakistan). The politicians loses moral ground, hence weakening democracy and allowing non-democratic forces to takeover. 

This JJ alliance is as harmful to the country as the MM alliance was in the 1980s. Numerous examples can be quoted to proof this allaince:

1) The Atiqa Oddo Alcohol Sou motto notice.

2) Mosa Gillani case.

3) Hamid Saaed Kazmi Hajj scandal.

4) Hussain Haqqani's Memo Scandal.

5) Swiss bank cases pending for 10 year are resurrected by the professional diabolical rhetorics.

6) Accusation against Ameen Fahim.

7) Highly synchronized propaganda against Jamshed Dasti's fake degree, while the only edge these journalists have over Dasti is their adored cosmetics and three-piece suits.

8) The crying Ansar Abbasi is very vocal in this JJ alliance.

In future, this JJ alliance might consider a merger with the MM alliance. The MMJJ pvt. ltd. company will be a tough challenge to the people friendly forces in Pakistan. People should know their rights and speak against any supra-structure in which they don't have domination.

Of Military and Men

One of the major problems in Pakistan is that there is noting to talk on except politics. Common people quibble over issues nothing to do with their personal life or intellectual growth. Some issues are:

1) Agar Amrika na Iran per hamlaa kerdia to kia hoga? (What will happen if US attacks Iran?)

2) Pakistan na Hatf - saat  ka qamiyaab tajubba kia ha. Mashallah! (By the grace of God, Pakistan has successfully fired Hatf-seven missile)

3) Zaradri na hamara ko mulk loot lia, Imran sab sahi kerdai ga (Zardari has rotten out country, Imran will put in order)

4) Sab corrupt hai! (Everyone's corrupt!)

The list can go on forever. 

Praising cruise missiles, armours, and jets have overwhelmed our psyche. More than three different missile have been test fired in the last 3 months. All these missiles have Arabic or Central Asian names with technology copied, purchased, or stolen from the technological centres of Europe. There is nothing much to praise about such an 'alien' object. It's like purchasing a BMW car and exclaiming as if the customer himself made it. Most importantly, only barbarians praise bombs, missiles, tanks and guns. Are we a barbarian nation that we praise bombs with such a religiosity? Bombs only kill innocent men, women and children. Praising bombs is a deeply inhuman instinct, which should be abhorred at the highest level. If the military loves to waste money on such devilish instrument, fine! It should keep it as a military secret away from the local press. 

Secondly, tanks and annealed jets from 1965 wars 'decorate' our crossroads and plazas. These objects might have an aesthetic sense for Halako Khan who sacked Baghdad in the 13th century ending up constructing towers using the remains of human bodies. For normal people, these rejected military souvenirs only create a war psyche which feed the idea of a national security state.

Apart from this military psyche, the second most popular chatter is to affront a single man for all problems, and to consider a single man as the last savoir of Pakistan. Primarily, such an idea develops in a society which has strong tribal and feudal norms. A single feudal is responsible for the material well-being of peasants working on his farm. All peasants look toward him in times of happy or gloomy days. 

The second reason for believing in a super-natural angel or a devil can be sought in Iqbal's poetry. The national poet of Pakistan is revered as the last intellectual in the sub-continent. His poetry is understood literally. Iqbal presents an idea of Mard-e-momin (the quintessence believer) , a super-natural being who'll put everything in order once he's born. This super-man will be a person who will dictate his fate himself:

Khuda banday sa khood poochay bata tarii raza kia ha (God himself asks Man, what is your will)

(An excellent research on Iqbal's idea is presented in Dr. Salaudin Darwesh's book Fikr Iqbal ka Almiya.)

Pakistanis are forced to learn such poetry through a state-sponsored curriculum. Leaders have tried to metamorphose themselves into this abstruse Mard-e-momin and tag their opponents as Mard-e-fasid (The corrupt man). Such a diabolical symmetry is a direct consequence of Iqbal's philosophical project. A easy method to counter such ideas to is include Faiz, Sheik Ayaz, Pashtun, and Baloch poetry in our national curriculum. Strengthening democratic values will also help in diminishing such trends.

The need of the hour is an immediate switch from political talk shows toward programs featuring film and book reviews; poetry and theatre, and history and philosophy. This is the only way to reduce the state of intellectual drought in the country.