Meta Knowledge/ Knowledge Calculus - classification of Action Research
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
FEAR AND PRIVILEGE- Zafar Hilaly
Comments;
This is for Action Research Forum of public wisdom,
The authors’ question is fundamental, the answer lies, ‘Is global culture democratic?’, perhaps it is a big NO not even least. The mindset of superpower is feudalistic like ‘RAJA BHOJ – A KING’ how ‘GANGO TELLI – A PEASENT’ can demand morality and equality, referring story of ‘Lion and Sheep’. US policy pursuit for allies is Kiss and Kick, than swap, all is concerned for immediate survival. On principals the nations have been doomed, Afghans are those.
The rule in US is by Barack (‘Al’lah Barack fee’) which is an Arabic culture word, the fact tells the fact about predominance of concern mindset. Zardari combating Pakistan’s case to his best stability, he is being asked to bestow and so Pakistan bestow mean internal revolt, wait for turn of ‘Kiss and Kick’, that is the message. So such turmoil can’t be rid.
Fear and privilege
Zafar Hilaly
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
What would the Americans have done had Pakistani jets bombed an American military outpost and killed 24 GIs, because the outpost was providing cover for intruding Afghan army patrols chasing the Taliban into Pakistan, and then if Islamabad were to blame the incident as an unfortunate communications screw-up between the two local commands?
It’s not too difficult to guess what the American reaction would have been. After all, to avenge the Al-Qaeda attack in New York the US invaded two countries, devastated dozens of villages and towns, killed and injured tens of thousands of Iraqis and Afghans and rendered hundreds of thousands homeless, even though only a miniscule fraction of those killed had anything to do with Al-Qaeda, let alone in the planning of the murderous World Trade Centre attacks.
Or consider what would have happened had the deluded American-Pakistani Faisal Shahzad succeeded in exploding his fertiliser laden vehicle in Times Square in 2010, causing casualties. According to American politicians and officials, the reactions would have been severe, to say the least – some 32 pre-selected locations in Pakistan “used by extremists,” including some located in our major cities, would have been destroyed. They went on to add, for good measure, that had Pakistan resisted their military strikes, every military installation in Pakistan would have been fair game for American planes and drones, possibly including our nuclear facilities. And, although they did not specifically say so, who knows, like in Afghanistan, the US could have followed that up with a land invasion and occupied parts of the country and even found someone like Karzai to head another Kabul-like US backed regime in Islamabad.
Viewed thus, what Kayani did – asking for an apology, limiting drone attacks and suspending the Nato supply line till better procedures were worked out – to convey our anger at the murder of 24 soldiers at Salala was hardly excessive. Actually, in comparison to the likely and deadly US response ours amounted to no more than hand wringing.
And yet there are Pakistanis who feel even these puny retaliatory measures were excessive. “Imagine,” one of them said, “these idiots have taken on America.” The “stupidity” and the “foolishness” of it all overwhelmed him. The “stiff preconditions” placed on the reopening of the routes were “totally unrealistic,” wrote another, and asked, what if America does not cave in? What if Pakistan is sanctioned for closing off the routes? And, horrors of horrors, what if America decides to retaliate by cutting off all assistance? As for the 24 murdered jawans, there was not a word from him about their fate.
When, therefore, the “apology” sought from Washington did not come and the mood there turned ugly, these gnomes became frantic. They imagined the worst and, hence, the stock market, in which the rich are heavily invested, plummeted by 400 points in two days and the rupee devalued. Many of this lot, especially those who have a “second home” status in some countries abroad and to which they have transferred their wealth, began to pack up. Others were calling relatives abroad to ask how long a stay was permissible on regular “visit” visas and whether in the case of a multiple-entry visa, they could leave and return the next day. All of a sudden their commitment to the motherland was not merely going or sneaking off, it was oozing out! Hence, when the Nato secretary general’s invitation summoning Zardari to Chicago did arrive, there was an almost audible sigh of relief.
The fears and forebodings of our pusillanimous elite have reached awesome dimensions. What they fear most is to give up their privileges in Pakistan without which life for them would hardly be worth living. Possessing so much, they have few things to desire but so much to be afraid of. Their timorous response to the Salala killings showed once again that, led by them and their ilk, we will neither prevail or be saved.
As for the well-meaning liberals, a lot of whom have their feet firmly planted in the air, they ran amok carping at the mess that the government, parliament and the military had landed us in. They trashed the government’s stance, implying that anyone who agreed with it was a bigot, a fool or a lackey of the regime. And judging by the space they got in our papers, a lot of what they said made sense to some. Be that as it may, the multitude, as we know to our despair, is not governed by reason but rather by emotion and it is to that multitude that governments must cater. Hence, what the liberals say has little impact on governments.
An enduring commandment when dealing with a stronger power is not to let them scare you. That’s fatal, because that way you will always leave the table a loser. Besides, America can no more go “solo” on Afghanistan than it can on Tajikistan today, or it did with tiny Cuba in the past. Congressman Ackerman can go on saying Pakistan is a “black hole” from which “nothing good ever comes out” till he is blue in the face, but even his president dare not think so. And if Ackerman can’t convince his own president that engaging with Pakistan is a waste of time, why is our lot lapping up what he says as gospel?
In the circumstances, for an “indispensable partner” to ask the other partner not to bomb the daylights out of it is not being unreasonable. And doing the one thing that it can – denying supply routes – to prevent that, hardly merits the ire of the international community. And if it still does then, very well, alone is how we should stand. That’s not blimpish patriotism – it’s about retaining a modicum of self-respect.
Samuel Johnson said that whereas you can talk foolishly, you should never think foolishly. And that’s unfortunately what many Pakistanis settled in America in particular are prone to do. One can understand that Pakistani Americans want to be liked in their new homeland. And, if their country of origin is regarded as a friendly country the chances are that their American neighbours will warm up to them. Good relations between their country of origin and the US are important and helpful in all sorts of ways.
Alas, at the moment relations between Pakistan and the US have never been worse and that understandably irks our expats in America. They want to know who is to blame and when told, by a perforce slanted local media, that the blame lies on Pakistan, being Pakistanis they are prone to believe the worst about their governments. That’s the most charitable explanation I have for their hysterical messages wanting us to forsake our present posture and toe the American line mindlessly.
But, reassuringly, it is worth pointing out that many Pakistanis would be very content to be guided in their approach towards America by what the current US Ambassador advised the other day in a magazine interview:
“(The US and Pakistan) should work together to make sure Pakistan’s sovereignty is respected and the US interests are met…. And in fighting the terrorists who are our common enemies…we need to talk together openly, honestly and frankly.”
Unfortunately, Ambassador Munter, who gave the advice, has reportedly decided to quit in disgust because his counsels were not heeded by Washington. So let’s hope our former countrymen abroad as well as Nato also realise what the Obama administration is all about, and what this government is up against.
Email: charles123it@hotmail.com
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