Jinnah’s Pakistan and the Shariah onslaught – Part 2

Jinnah’s Pakistna and the Shariah onslaught – Part 2

The long Afghan war (1979 -1991) is a recent example wherein the Islamic concept of Jihad was invoked in this part of the world to defeat the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. The post 1991 decade saw Afghan   tribes and Mujahedeen created by Pakistan and USA engaged in the perpetual in-fighting that prevailed in Afghanistan from 1991 to 2001 until a Taliban lead staunch Islamic state was created in Afghanistan. Taliban started practicing a 1400 year old brand of Islam. That could only be implemented in the ruins. Such a fanatic Government was accepted by Pakistan due to natural religious inclination and sentiment that had grown sufficiently in Pakistan by Zia-ul-Haq. Religious sentiments were also used by Zia-ul-Haq to straighten the mussels of freedom fighters in occupied Kashmir. Jihadi outfits were founded in Pakistan which enrolled and trained young but poor youth, to use them to fight Indian troops in occupied Kashmir.

Then occurred 9/11, the responsibility to destroy The World Trade Centre in New York USA on 9 / 11 was accepted by Al-Qaeda, a terrorist organization headed by Osama Bin Laden, groomed and hosted by Taliban in Afghanistan.

US Forces landed in Afghanistan in 2002 to dismantle Al-Qaeda after refusal by Taliban Government to hand over Osama Bin Laden whom they had given refuge in Afghanistan juncture of history Pakistan had to take a U turn from its 20 years old stance in Afghanistan. The Jihadi dragoon nourished to destroy enemies of Islam and to recapture Kashmir through Jihad, had now turned towards Pakistan, military and society. For the last decade, bomb blasts, suicide bombings and shooting non-Muslims is the order of the day in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is turning into pre-1991 Afghanistan. Only in 2010 there were more than 2000 terrorist attacks in Pakistan claiming more than 5000 causalities.

The most dangerous phenomenon   is that civil society does not condemn terrorist attacks. No civil society organization ever staged a protest against suicide bombings in the cities of Pakistan.  Religiously fanatic elements are fast growing in Pakistan. They do not hesitate taking law into their own hands and cold bloodedly murder even the high office holders. Governor Punjab and a sitting minority minister’s murder right in the well guarded capital of Pakistan is one of the events that amply indicate tolerant level of Pakistani society today, and sends a very different signal to the civilized world about our image.

Did Pakistan Resolution mean this kind of Pakistan?

At this point of history the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is at crossroads. The present policy of confrontation leads to chaos and Afghanistan like situation in coming years. The second road promises peaceful, socially developed and moderate society. The stakeholders like political leadership, military and religious leadership has to decide which road to take.  Pakistani Parliament and Ministry of defense must also review its National Security Doctrine vis-à-vis genuine threat perception. Education, health, jobs and justice not only ensure national integration   but also make people tolerant, peaceful and patriotic. We must reduce defense budget and spend funds in health, education, and agriculture and power sector. It has to be strongly believed that economically comfortable society grows very less extremist elements. The illiteracy, poverty and joblessness promote extremism. Having possessed a large number of extremists in the country with a large arsenal of weapons of mass destruction,   it will be very difficult if not impossible to secure a respectable and trust worthy place in the international community. Pakistan will have to face isolation. Time is running short there is an urgent   need to review our national policy in the light of Jinnah’s vision of a secular Pakistan before it is too late.

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Posted by Fouad Ashraf on Oct 26 2011. Filed under Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry