Entries for 'Dr Arif Alvi'

Only Pakistanis can remedy the misery they live in once they make up their minds to terminate the system that has castrated them for more than six decades. Pakistan’s elites produced few men and women of conscience, who could transcend their class origins to mobilize workers and peasants to fight for their rights. More regrettably, Pakistan’s emerging middle classes have been too busy aping the brown Sahibs, stepping over each other to join the ranks of the corrupt elites. As a result, Pakistan’s elites have grown more predatory, refusing to establish the rule of law in any sphere of society.

There has been a lot of sadness because of the Swat flogging incident and total condemnation from almost every quarter. The day on which Mr Imran Khan's statement was issued by me there were many press reports in Frontier newspapers in which some elements of the Taliban had condemned the incident and others said that the incident happened during the time of total lawlessness and before the peace deal.  A sign that most of them were on the back foot and embarassed, though some are not.

The West has given many descriptions to its battles (they don’t like our freedoms, WMD, regime change, need for democracy etc.) and the muslims have tried to expose them as having a hidden agenda (security of Israel, control of oil, crusade, muslim bashing etc. The walls around Gaza may have to be raised to the heavens to prevent reactions and the new born Davids may have to be mercilessly killed for a secure future for Israel.  They forget Moses who survived and the history of their own holocausts.  In Pakistan and Afghanistan we have to have our own prescription.

Those who claim the leadership of Pathan and Mohajir communities as well as the PPP have disowned that they have any hand in the Karachi Carnage.  In fact they state, that they have said this in a coalition meeting with Kalima to convince each other (they were suspicious of each other too).  Now the best thing they can do is to actively be on the streets and rush to all trouble spots and diffuse the situation.  If they do this now I am confident the tensions would ease within a day.

I am on an organisational tour which has taken me to Lahore, Islamabad, Pehawar, Nowshera, Pabbi, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahimyar Khan, Obaro, Sukker and am writing to you from Larkana (Dadu, Nawabshah and Hyderabad to go)

I have adressed Jalsas, Press conferences and Bars. Yesterday in Sukker Press Conf a  journalist asked a question which prompts me to write this long letter.

Our political struggle must for equal opportunities irrespective of gender, color, religion, ethnicity and social status for all, in all spheres of life. It is shameful to see inPakistan, the poor dying for lack of food, hunger, bad health, etc and the rich classes oblivious to what they see every day on their streets.  Capitalism has failed in achieving a true emancipation of people.  The promised crumbs never fall of the table.  The rich become super rich and the poor remain in their ghettos. Super powers while protecting their interests have brutalized poor nations and people and in the last 100 years more killings have been done than ever before, in the name of democracy, liberalism and free economy.  The shameless begging bowl reminds me of Ibne Insha who said:

جس جھولی میں سو چھید ہوئے

اُس جھولی کو پھیلانا کیا

Mr Khan reiterated on Express TV today on 17th October (host Javed Chaudhry) that all politicians should bring back their own wealth to Pakistan to inspire confidence in the business community, and others to do the same.  Why beg from others when our own money can go a long way?  Javed Hashmi (PMLN leader) who was also on the show endorsed the appeal saying that he would request Nawaz Sharif to do the same.

I was in Sweden in the last week of September and our PTI friends Mr Barkat and Dr Amir arranged meetings with Swedish parliamentarians.  Each one of them came down to receive us at the main gate, escorted us to the meeting room and came down to see us off.  Even the Deputy Prime Minister who was on crutches because she had taken a recent fall-injury, followed this courtesy.  Reminds me of Omar and his servant entering Jerusalem.