Mahboob A. Khawaja, PhD.

“the United States simply could not stand by as a nuclear-armed Pakistan descended into the abyss,” and that, “we need to think — now — about our feasible military options in Pakistan, should it really come to that….The most likely possible dangers are these: a complete collapse of Pakistani government rule that allows an extreme Islamist movement to fill the vacuum; a total loss of federal control over outlying provinces, which splinter along ethnic and tribal lines; or a struggle within the Pakistani military in which the minority sympathetic to the Taliban and Al Qaeda try to establish Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism.

(Andrew Gavin Marshall, “Imperial Eye on Pakistan-Pakistan in Pieces, Part 1” Global Research: 5.28.2011), quotes authors, Frederick Kagan and Michael O’Hanlon, Open-Ed. NYT, 11/2007, both strategists and scholars at the American Enterprise Institute and Brookings Institution).

Pakistan is not a free Nation out of the century old British colonial bondage. It was British Educational Plan for the Indians to create new generations of people who by virtue of their thinking, knowledge and behaviors will be indoctrinated to serve as subjects to the British imperialism and act as loyal agents of influence for ages to come.

There is nothing new in Pakistani politics and politicians - they are loyal and committed servants to the colonialism and its institutions. After the WW2 British imperial demise, America has taken over the place of the British imperialism as the New Empire in its infancy governing Pakistan and other in the region, mostly linked to recipients of developmental Aid, that means unpayable paper-based loans, dry milk, used clothes, frequent visits by the intelligence agents and technical advisors with huge sum salaries, obsolete military hardware and dictates on foreign relations and vast network of disruptive terrorism. Pakistan’s freedom is boxed and should be seen within these terms and conditions which money lenders (US run IMF and other agencies) impose on the AID recipient nations. Politicians, civil servants and military officers get rich and richer every day. Recently, One of President Obama’s advisors on terrorism - Bruce Rudel told the Congress, “Pakistanis cannot be trusted as they play dubious role, cheat and become double agents in War on Terror.” It is no big surprise that is how corruption is institutionalized in Pakistani politics. The ordinary people view the politicians as most corrupt, uneducated and monstrous criminal agents of foreign influence. Yet the politics flourishes, people knowingly engage in political activism, organize shouting matches in streets, roads and halls of prostitutes- the political organization of deprived and destitute masses. In Question Altruism, P.J. O’Rourke is quoted to have said that

"Politics is the business of getting power and privilege without possessing merit. A politician is anyone who asks individuals to surrender part of their liberty -- their power and privilege -- to State, Masses, Mankind, Planet Earth, or whatever. This state, those masses, that mankind, and the planet will then be run by ... politicians."

Pakistan’s problem rests with powerpoltics. Those who grab the power through intrigues, political conspiracies, military coups, sectarian killings and large social-economic disruptions as is the on-going Pakistani elite supported and American-British led bogus War on Terror, would never cease to act or see an end to their hegemonic power control. For almost half of a century, Pakistani politics in groomed with military dictators and their FEW created and installed feudal families of the British colonial time- Bhuttos, Sharfis, Zardaris, Chaurdirs and of course, the military Generals themselves - the chief instigators of decay and exploitation. The political CURSE and disintegration of the social, moral and intellectual culture goes on for ages without an end in view. Anyone who will challenge their powerhouse is labeled as “extremists”, “fundamentalists” and most often “terrorists”. The real terrorists are never publicly arrested or brought to law and justice. The IMF claims that Pakistan owes some $70 billions in loan mostly in arrears unable even to make the interests-based annual installments. Nobody knows how and where these funds are utilized for the benefits of the people of Pakistan. It is public knowledge that Zardari, Ms. Bhutto and Sharif have stolen billions of dollars from the Pakistani lifelines and brought costly real estate s in UK, France and Dubai and elsewhere but none can dare to stop theses criminals to payback to the nation. Ms. Bhutto and Zardari built a palace in Dubai, bought mansion in Surrey, UK, a palace in France and were indicted by Swiss court for money laundering scheme. Yet they returned to political power as if they self-claimed innocence had any credibility. With so much corruption all is normal. There are always court battles and public wish-wash and concerns without any tangible results. All of these are active again in national politics for the future of the beleaguered nation. When few try to rise against the crime riddled politicians, they will be crushed by the evil mongers - the political hub of the nation. In the Library of Economics and Liberty, Jaron Lanier is mentioned to have stated that:

“People have often been willing to give up personal identity and join into a collective. Historically, that propensity has usually been very bad news. Collectives tend to be mean, to designate official enemies, to be violent, and to discourage creative, rigorous thought. Fascists, communists, religious cults, criminal "families" — there has been no end to the varieties of human collectives, but it seems to me that these examples have quite a lot in common. I wonder if some aspect of human nature evolved in the context of competing packs. We might be genetically wired to be vulnerable to the lure of the mob.”

All of the major political actors are known to maintain killing gangs who would become active in political campaigns to clear the path of any serious challenge and opposition from the people. This is the election season in Pakistani politics. Professor R. J. Rummel (quoted in Question Altruism), who keeps track of such things, now estimates that in the 20th century 262,000,000 people were murdered by their own governments. And all these horrors were perpetrated by collectivist governments for the alleged sake of "the proletariat," the "master race," and especially, "the greater good." None were done by countries based on individualism. See: http://tinyurl.com/RJRummel.

Unless THINKING PEOPLE of the Pakistani Freedom Movement and Foundational Values reactivate their thoughts and energies for a Navigational Change, the Nation is at a critical Crossroads for its own fragmentation and by its own so called monstrous political leaders. How to Change the political cruelty and tyranny of the FEW unto ANEW value-based political system of institutions, responsible leadership and governance? Pakistan desperately NEEDS people of New Vision, New Ideas and political imagination to safeguard the freedom of the nation from ultimate chaos and ruins. Those part of the problems cannot be part of the solutions. Foreigners will not help Pakistan; their plans are working to disintegrate Pakistan. Nation’s own future is at stake. Andrew Gavin Marshall “Imperial Eye on Pakistan- Pakistan in Pieces, Part 1 (Global Research: 5/30/2011) states that “in December of 2000, the CIA released a report of global trends to the year 2015, which stated that by 2015, “The war in Afghanistan is inherently related to the situation in Pakistan……….Pakistan will be more fractious, isolated, and dependent on international financial assistance.”[1] Further, it was predicted, Pakistan:

Will not recover easily from decades of political and economic mismanagement, divisive politics, lawlessness, corruption and ethnic friction. Nascent democratic reforms will produce little change in the face of opposition from an entrenched political elite and radical Islamic parties.”

Western industrialized world has adapted the phenomenon of Change as a way of thinking and living. Islam subscribes to change as a precept of life. But ignorant and selfish rulers denied Islam its rightful place in Pakistani politics. Pakistan desperately needs a navigational change to return to its original roots of participatory democracy and a new foreign policy disconnecting its coercive partnership with the US-British led bogus War on Terrorism. As of now, FORCE is needed to bring Change – a REVULSION against the feudal lords operated system of institutionalized corruption. Change will come if educated and honest people of vision and new generation are encouraged to lead the nation. There are only two genuine political establishments in Pakistan: One is Jamiat-e-Islami and the new Teherk-e-Insaf headed by Imran Khan. All other political claimants are neo-colonial grown wicked illusions on the political landscape.

To CHANGE Pakistan and rebuild its foundation and a sustainable future, a non-partisan government of national unity under new leadership should be the immediate consideration and political action replacing the corrupt Zardari regime, and ceasing the confrontational strategy in Waziristan and Baluchistan and the US drone attacks and demanding immediate withdrawal of the American and British forces from Afghanistan. This will facilitate breathing space and provide timeframe to develop a new constitution, new political institutions and indeed honest, intelligent and credible leadership for the future.

The corrupt institutionalized politics denies participation to educated, honest and intelligent Pakistanis. The nation has not learned any lesson from its own blood soaked tragedies. Ironically, dead Bhuttos, Zardari and Sharifs are reportedly again candidates for re-election. Nowhere in the civilized world are the criminals allowed to stand in political elections. Have the Pakistani people gone that much down the drains in thoughts, observations and wisdom? The Pakistani nation must see the Mirror – look at itself straight, candidly and with fullest sense of moral, intellectual and political responsibility: who they were, where they are and where they are heading to? Or the Nation stands no chance for the recourse or coming out of the deadly political stunts of the few, time killing legal battles and the historical graveyards. If the nation was not complacent in all of these sadistic misfortunes – General Musharaf and his associates, Bhuttos, Zardaris and Sharifs and Chaudris could never have come into political power and to molestation of the moral, intellectual and spiritual culture and values of Islamic Pakistan. None of these political monsters have made any positive contributions toward a genuine functional democracy nor do they have any rational sense or knowledge of it. They are active again to grab the power and nothing else. History has a defined role and the present and future generations must give credence to these developments and learn to be aware of the future in waiting, and how best to make a navigational change to ensure independence and integrity of Pakistan.

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(Dr. Mahboob A. Khawaja specializes in global security, peace and conflict resolution with keen interests in Islamic-Western comparative cultures and civilizations, and author of several publications including the latest: Global Peace and Conflict Management: Man and Humanity in Search of New Thinking. Lambert Publishing Germany, May 2012).