Political and social matters

At the moment our country is witnessing a bloodbath, and when the rulers are questioned as to why this is happening and why they don’t do anything to stop it, they pass the blame on to terrorists, external powers, etc. Then follows the common response that some elements have always been against the ruling party and its government. They totally forget that the solution lies in accepting their own responsibility for the crisis. People cannot cope with lawlessness and aggression on their own; that is the responsibility of the government.

Meanwhile, the rulers shout themselves hoarse claiming that they have been given a mandate by the people to rule the country. They enjoy luxurious lives, with fleets of expensive cars, foreign tours and sumptuous parties. Ordinary people were already facing the curses of corruption, inflation, unemployment, load-shedding of gas and electricity. And now, on top of that, they have to run from pillar to post to try to save their own lives.

Those creating the problems are not outsiders. They are locals reacting against the forces created by Musharraf when he adopted a foreign war as our own war, and by merciless killing of innocent young children in Lal Masjid (even using napalm bombs). He is bound to face punishment for these crimes. It is the government’s incompetence that has resulted in the country being infested with all kinds of deadly weapons. Under the guise of terrorism, the militant wings of the various parties are actively engaged in murders and extortions.

We are all aware of the mayhem going on in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan. We are also aware of the miseries suffered by the common man, compared to the luxurious lives led by the rulers. Unfortunately, there is no redemption in sight. We are mercilessly killing our own people in the tribal areas and allowing the US to kill innocent men, women and children. We boast about having killed X number of ‘terrorists’, but when one of us is killed in retaliation we beat our chests in lament.

The dual nationality and fake degree cases are not yet over. Only the other day, we were informed that Abdul Qadir Gilani, son of our former PM Yousuf Raza Gilani, had been discovered holding a fake degree. In a by-election, Abdul Qadir Gilani was elected member of the National Assembly from Multan on the seat vacated by his father, who had been disqualified by the Supreme Court. But wait! That is not all. Now the former prime minister tells us that the Federal Investigation Agency has no authority to check for fake degrees. Have we not always been told that the FIA is there to catch fraudsters and cheats? Is holding a fake degree not a serious fraud and a culpable crime?

Altaf Hussain has also joined Dr Tahirul Qadri in a campaign to “cleanse” the country of all its maladies. We now have not one but two foreign-cultivated gentlemen claiming to be able to solve our problems. One of them has been out of the country for more than 20 years and the other was away for more than six years; both hold foreign nationalities with oaths taken to serve their new countries through thick and thin. People have not forgotten the mayhem of May 12, 2007.

People are apprehensive that there is a foreign move to have the elections postponed, which would sabotage the rights of the people to choose their representatives. This would only lead to looters continuing to be in the saddle. The army and the judiciary should crush any attempt to create a law-and-order situation of any sort. Otherwise it could only lead to us becoming a failed state.

The honourable doctor has started a fund-raising campaign. We know the facts and ultimate usage of funds collected for the Khilafat Movement, for the Qarz Utaro, Mulk Sanwaro campaign and by Double Shah, Samad, etc. The poor usually end up being duped, while the rich are not enticed because they are more clever.

Let us end on a positive note. The good news is that Faseih Iqbal, former senator and editor-in-chief of the English daily Balochistan Times and Urdu daily Zamana, was conferred an honorary doctorate degree on December 26 by Balochistan governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Khan Magsi, who is chancellor of the Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences. Faseih Iqbal has served Balochistan for more than 50 years. He is also a recipient of the national awards of Sitara-e-Imtiaz and Hilal-e-Imtiaz.

When I was member of the board of governors of Balochistan University, I had floated the idea of a first-class technological institute, for which I prepared a feasibility report. Now Faseih Iqbal has set up the Gulistan Foundation Trust to initiate the project. He has donated all his earnings and a bungalow to the trust for this noble cause. For his human rights efforts, he was also honoured by Mr S M Zafar.

My friendship with Fasieh Iqbal is compounded by the fact that his spiritual leader, Maulana Nastaran, used to live in Bhopal before Partition and Iqbal used to visit him there. There is a beautiful mosque in Bhopal known as Masjid-e-Nastaran. Fasieh Iqbal once mentioned that there were mercury lights on the longest road in Bhopal and it was known as Thandi Sarak, a fact hardly anyone outside Bhopal knew. I then knew for sure that he had actually visited Bhopal. My heartiest congratulations and best wishes to Faseih Iqbal.

Another positive is the commendable work being done by Dr Khalil-ur-Rehman from Jeddah. He is establishing a state-of-the-art kidney centre at Muslimabad near Abbottabad. He had requested me to lay the foundation stone, which was done so at the beginning of last month. This noble work is being carried out under the supervision of the Pakistan Welfare Society Trust.

Email: dr.a.quadeer.khan@gmail.com