STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan
You cannot move mountains; you have to chisel away at its base till it narrows. Then comes the stage when the base cannot sustain the weight of the mountain, and a determined huge push topples it over. The one sitting atop this mountain, in our case a uniformed dictator, looksdown at these attempts with a cynical smile. He wonders,who are these ants and beavers challenging my might? It has been acquired over six decades. An important corollary of unbridled power is total arrogance and a sense of invincibility. Many a dictator have been undone by these false notions, as we see unfolding these days.
This thought process started last weekend while attending a seminar organized to highlight atrocities faced by Palestinians in Gaza. The keynote speaker was former South African Minister for International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor. I was double minded about attending till my friend, Dil Nawaz Khan, an avid golfer and a prominent social activist gave me a push. Am I glad he did that!
Minister Naledi’s speech was inspirational, thought provoking with a lot of substance. She led the South African challenge to Israeli atrocities in Gaza before the International Court of Justice. ICJ’s landmark ruling thatIsraeli occupation of Gaza and West Bank is illegal and declared that all annexed lands be returned to Palestinians. It found Israeli acts responsible for apartheid. They stated that a two–state solution must be implemented. Explaining South Africa’s motivation to make this bold move, the Minister revealed a fascinating fact. Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) former head, Yassir Arafat, was one of the first leaders to come out in support of ANC’s struggle against Apartheid. South Africans firmly believe that their freedom will only be completed when Palestinians achieve freedom through a two-state solution.
Twentieth century ended imperialism globally. Three freedom struggles that were totally indigenous, supported by masses, stand out. China under Mao Zedong, Iran under Imam Khomeini and South Africa under Nelson Mandela. These movements involved sustained struggle, huge sacrifices and total commitment. Nations achieve territorial freedom; but real freedom can only be achieved when the will of people overtakes vested elites’ chokeholds inherited from colonial rulers. Quaid-e-Azamthrough his brilliant negotiating skills and an unbending resolve led to a separate homeland. His mass support came from Bengal, UP and subsequently Sind. Punjab was Unionist and KP was dominated by Abdul Ghaffar Khan.
Quaid’s untimely departure left a vacuum before he could lay the basis of a nation. That void was filled mainly by feudals in West Pakistan. The country was run by British trained bureaucrats who got gobbled up by ambitious Generals starting from Ayub Khan. Bengal’s genuine leaders were never given an appropriate chance. Common Pakistanis welfare always took a back seat as nation building was not a priority. It was rule of the elite for the elite. A flicker of hope was lit by Bhutto that got extinguished the moment he came to power and reverted to his feudal roots. Imran Khan was the 1st political leader to seek reform for the benefit of the masses. He built his party ground upwards and it took him 20 years to catch the imagination of Pakistanis.
His message, integrity and single-minded pursuit was unacceptable to the elite combo of army, business elite, bureaucrats, segments of judiciary and feudals. In the remaining Pakistan after separation with Bangladesh, the elite had become fat cats unwilling to concede ground to someone seeking nation building. Hence IK and PTI have been at the receiving end of all kinds of suppression and brutality for last 30 months. For the first time in our history common Pakistanis are fired up and they see hope of a genuine change.
Minister Naledi, while recapping South African struggle,referred to Charter of Freedom agreed in 1955 by opponents of Apartheid Regime. It makes a brilliant read. I found their four pillars of strategy adopted to achieve the Charter even more fascinating. They are: 1. Organizational structure within the country and support base externally. 2. Creating a mass movement within the nation using this structure. 3. Success in creating solidarity externally with forces supporting human rights. 4. Ability to wage armed struggle when the rulers’ resort to violence. First three pillars exist. The Generals helped in creating a battle-hardened cadre of local leaders who have faced jail, torture and hardships. PTI is favorite choice of overwhelming overseas Pakistanis. For Pakistan’s sake I wish it never comes to the 4th pillar.
In my brief chat with the Minister, I realized that she was uninformed about the gross violations of Human Rights in Pakistan and treatment of IK. Here is suggestion to PTI Chapter in South Africa. They must reach out to such iconic freedom fighters and encourage them to speak out. It must be repeated worldwide. Reaching out to Obama in USA, Merkel in Germany would be a great start.
In Pakistan we are stuck in quagmire. General Asim wants his decade of unchallenged rule. He has created an axis of evil beneath him consisting Chief Justices Qazi and Aamer Farooq, ECP Raja Sikander Sultan, Law Minster Azam Nazeer Tarar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. They will stoop to lowest levels to promote the General’s agenda, like experienced card-sharpers. Unfortunately, they don’t have any strategy. Their bogus agenda will go for a six in Lahore this weekend. Lahoris have refused tobe cowed down. Mobilization is in full swing. Historically, no regime has survived when Lahore moves.
