EDITORIAL FRONTIER POST
PPP, too, has declared war. The PML (N) was already on the warpath. And with their beating of war drums, the two have demonstrated conclusively how unsurpassable are their leaderships in intellectual bankruptcy, how unbeatable are they in immaturity, how incomparable are they in stupidity, and that they are no statesmen, not even politicians, but mere operators driven by their power lust. The nation’s true leaders they are not; slaves to their own selfishness they actually are. Not that the people were any much impressed by their alliance. A marriage of convenience they had said it was. Neither, they averred, was sincere to the other; both they perceived were deceiving each other. Parting of ways, anyway, is not an unheard phenomenon. Even in functional democracies, political alliances do break up. But were these times for these two to separate and declare war? Weren’t it these times to get united, not get divided; to reconcile, not fight, and to engage, not disengage? Aren’t we in the clutches of a deadly extremism vilely threatening to destroy us to the roots and make a Somalia of us? Aren’t lawlessness and criminality of all brands evaporating the little bit of sense of security our people are left with? Aren’t foreign investors getting increasingly scared of doing any business with us? Aren’t we in the thicket of a declining economy and living on foreign loans and doles? And aren’t outsiders from one to all proclaiming that we on the way of becoming a failed state, if not have we become already? So what is that has impelled these two parties’ leaderships to act so irresponsibly as have they? Of course, both have their cheerleaders, who do cheer. But it is only jeers, and in bucketfuls, that the street has for both the two. So blemished and culpable is their track record that neither has a moral ground to strike the posture of grandstanding as are they doing now. So ugly is their past that the street hates even to spit at it. And they are making it uglier with the day with their petty politics and power plays. Sure, their respective cheerleaders, in the media and in the intelligentsia, have hit the field, defending the indefensible. Some are frighteningly raising the spectre of jackboots marching in to roll up the democracy shop? But what democracy? We are no democracy; we are a plutocracy, pure and simple. What we have is a rule of the elite for the elite and by the elite. A democracy of the people for the people and by the people we palpably are not. Had we been one, these aristocrats would have dared not to play with the destiny of this nation’s mostly hapless 160 million people as playfully as they are? Still, this country is no personal property of anybody’s mama or papa; neither Asif Zardari’s nor Nawaz Sharif’s. It is owned by these heartlessly robbed and plundered 160 million people on whose sweat and blood have they stashed mountains of cash in foreign banks and built to themselves palatial homes and flourishing businesses abroad. And they are no people’s men; neither Zardari nor Nawaz. Had they been, neither would have had so deeply fractured poll mandate as they have, particularly Nawaz who couldn’t come out from the contest even as Punjab’s sole spokesman and subedar, although his fawning cheerleaders misleadingly project him to be a national leader which the election showed he was not. Even Zardari saw his PPP in the election being marginalised in Balochistan, trailing far behind in Punjab and Frontier, and cobbling up a tottering minority government at the Centre. So this puerile talk of their credentials of being national leaders should stop. Had indeed we been an emancipated democratic polity and had there been no aristocrats and oligarchs to dictate their enslaved constituents’ choice, the poll outcome would have been not what it was. There would have been other faces and true leaders in the real sense to lead this nation. Yet since the lady luck has smiled on these two, they must behave, and make not this land their abominable clashing egos’ battleground and this nation their silly fight’s unwilling victim. It is no participant in their selfish warfare. And spare it they must of this unwanted atrocity. Pull back they must even now, keep the street calm and start attending to the gigantic challenges confronting the nation internally and externally, lest they are thrown out by an angry people in the history’s dustbin for good.
Beating of war drums
Explosions at the tomb of Afghan Poet Rahman Baba
By-Zar Ali Khan Musazai
This was shocking news to hear that terrorists and miscreants bombed the holy tomb of the Pashto language greatest mystic poet Rehman Baba situated in Hazar khwani village of Mahmand tribe of Pashtun/Afghan in the south of Peshawar city. It was about 5pm when my eyes suddenly opened due to a big bang of the explosion. It does not mean that I was lying near to the site where this unfortunate incident occurred, but actually the intensity of the explosion was so severe that it shook the suburb of the Peshawar city and the sound could be heard at a distance of more than 8-9 kilometers in radius of Peshawar from the shrine of Rehman Baba. This was further shocking when I was called by one of friends in morning that the big bang we heard in dawn was of the terrorist explosion went off in the mausoleum of Baba. This unfortunate tragic news saddened me a lot and immediately thought that miscreants who committed this heinous crime could not be named as Pashtun, Muslims and human being. Such unlucky and mean terrorists committed a crime which could not be pardoned at any cost. Rehman baba is a mystic poet of Pashto language who preached love, humanity and fraternity in the world. He taught people to spread message of peace and humanity. He asks people to learn to be human being. Pashtun/Afghan all over the world shows him great respect and reverence and there is no single Pashtun who will oppose him. He is a person who has no enmity with no one and he is respected by all and sundry alike. Baba in Pashto language is one who is the most dignified personality among the Pashtun/Afghan and Rehman baba comes at the top of such list of the Pashtun. Besides, Khushal Baba, Mirwais neeka (Baba) and Ahmad shah baba are the dignified and greatest personalities of the Pashtun/Afghan nation. These are the persons who have made place in the hearts of Pashtun and have made the history. Any one dares to show disrespect to the said personality’s means that he/she invites wrath and rage of the Pashtun/Afghan. The unfortunate incident happened to the grave of Rehman baba caused great unrest and angered Pashtun / Afghan and his followers. This is intolerable. Pashtun show respect to the graves of the people and wish other to respond in same manner. Bombing tomb of Rehman baba means a clear declaration of war against Pashtun/Afghan. Pashtun are being burnt in fire for last 30 years in fire. Their houses destroyed, schools and colleges demolished, hospitals ruined, roads and entire infrastructure bombed and made debris. Pashtun children were made ignorant and illiterate. The purpose behind was to get this nation forget its past history, its culture, its language, its leaders, its politicians, its Mashran, its religious entities, its poets, its heroes, its brave deeds, its land and national cohesion and Unity. This is our past and we are proud of it. We are proud of our history, culture, language, geography, poets, politicians and their brave deeds and never repent what our elders have done. For last 30 years on one pretence or other Pashtun/Afghan have been forced to forget their history and leave their culture and adopt the orthodox and fundamental type of dogmatic belief which has no relation with religion Islam rather it is a particular belief of Arabs. This exercise is being practiced by some misled and strayed minds and wish to destroy all what shows a little bit difference with their particular kind of dogma. People need to show tolerance and endurance. Every one should have to have a courage and steadfastness to stand boldly and face this storm which has been hitting the heads of Pashtun since long. But unfortunately such inhuman deeds are being performed by the state agencies and support these for the ulterior motives under a well cooked conspiracy to defame the Pashtun nation for being named as terrorists. The culture of Pashtun is at stake. Pashtun singers/Artistes are kidnapped by militants and get released on the condition that they will be bound to go to Lahore, a city of Punjab where they will have to spend 120 days in Tableegh(A preaching Islamic religious group of Lahore brand ). Among them who is unwilling to go to Lahore then he/she is intimidated to the extent that leaves the country and settles abroad. One who sings for Pashtun, he is punished and orders him to forsake singing? When poets and singers are disrespected and discouraged how language and literature will be promoted. This will destroy the Pashtun/Afghan nation. All Pashtun intellectuals, Poets, Politicians, Literary minds, students, teachers, Journalists and Pashtun belonging to all walks of life should have to wake up from deep slumber to protect their past, brighten the present and leave good for future posterity.
(The writer is Chairman Pashtun Democratic Council.)
