Dear Farrukh Sahab,

when I visited your blog recently, I found that you have written a piece of article on the sad demise of Mr Safwat. While writing the title of the article, you have clearly maintained that Mr Sifwat “accepted martyr doom”.

I respect your opinion if you wish to categorize him as a martyr, but at the same time, I would like to share with you another pieces of articles which may convince you to review your decision of calling him as a martyr. Dear Farrukh Sahab, I strongly recommend you to please read these two articles on following links.

Shaheed, an Exploited Word

A Cause Worth Dying for

I hope that after reading these articles, you will prefer reaching a rational decision instead of an emotional one.

God bless you.

Dear Sikandar Sahab,

I hope you are doing fine and are in best of your health.

I happened to gather your point of view about ‘use of word martyrdom’ for demise of anyone, in the light of two Articles (part of same series) you recommended written by worthy Amar Jaleel and published with Daily Dawn on September 17 and 24, 2006 respectively.

Here, I would like to put forward that Mr. Amar Jaleel has rightly pointed out that the word Martyrdom is misused by a lot of people specially in countries like Pakistan. Moreover, I feel like agreeing with Mr. Jaleel in his definition of Martyrdom who writes in one of his articles:

A person earns the status of a shaheed, a martyr, when he dies fighting against the evil forces either in the way of his God or for his country or for a noble cause.

And at some other point in the other article Mr. Jaleel further defines his concept of martyrdom:

Martyrdom is a great honour that a Muslim achieves if the cause for which he gives his life happens to be noble, it serves humanity and is overall praised….Shahadat is a distinction that never comes effortlessly to every person….In conventional Sufi doctrine, any person, irrespective of his faith, attains martyrdom when he dies while performing a noble act.

Having understood the concept of ‘Martyrdom’ and problems of usage of word ‘Martyr’, lets apply this concept in case of ‘sad demise’ of Mr. Sifwat Ghayur.

when I visited your blog recently, I found that you have written a piece of article on the sad demise of Mr Safwat. While writing the title of the article, you have clearly maintained that Mr Sifwat “accepted martyr doom”…I respect your opinion if you wish to categorize him as a martyr, but at the same time, I would like to share with you another pieces of articles which may convince you to review your decision of calling him as a martyr.

In my point of view, Martyrdom was the right word for Mr. Ghayur’s death since I am not able to find any better word to suit the description of his demise because:

1. He was a honest and humble man serving the nation selflessly (in light of Sufi Doctrine of Martyrdom).
2. His actions had a strong impact on the well being of the people of the area and humanity in broader context.
3. His cause was noble.
4. He was fighting the evil forces for his country.

And he died while performing the above mentioned acts selflessly. One might claim that he was doing his ordinary job for which he was getting paid, but those who knew Sifwat Ghayur, knew it as well that his work was more than ordinary policing job for which he was getting paid with a meager salary.

I hope that after reading these articles, you will prefer reaching a rational decision instead of an emotional one.

Dear, when I categorized Mr. Ghayur as Martyr, my such act was not emotional in anyway. Further, after reading both the articles you happened to recommend, I am more than convinced that he accepted Martyrdom in both religious and Sufi contexts.

Lastly, I would like to Thank you for your candid analysis and starting this healthy discussion. I don’t know if I was able to communicate my humble point of reference while calling Mr. Ghayur a martyr. I am not sure if you find it agreeable or not (and you have every right to disagree), but I would say that for those who knew Mr. Sifwat Ghayur, his ‘Martyrdom’ was a great loss to Pakistani nation.

The Discussion Continues

Dear Farrukh Sahab,

I regret to inform you that I disagree with your contention for calling an on-duty police man as a martyr.

I am surprised that why the words of Amar Jaleel did not catch your attention when he writes,

“In conventional Sufi doctrine, any person, irrespective of his faith, attains martyrdom when he dies while performing a noble act. If a person dies while rescuing trapped men, women and children from a blazing building, he invariably attains martyrdom. He was not a paid fireman. Rescuing people from flames was not his duty. He was a passer-by. He saw children surrounded by leaping flames. In the spur of a moment, he plunged into the burning building and saved a few lives before he himself was burnt to ashes. In his death he attains martyrdom.”

(This indicates that a person performing a duty, however honestly, can not be called as martyr because he was being paid for it no matter how meagerly)

Amar Jaleel clearly argues again, “Unfortunately, dying in the performance of paid duties, no doubt a gallant way of dying is mixed-up with shahadat.”

I was further disappointed that you had conveniently drawn para-meters of why Mr Sifwat should be called as a martyr. You did it without realizing what the worthy writer says about drawing parameters of martyrdom.

He writes, “It is not at all possible to draw parameters, inculcate conditions and device principles for attaining martyrdom. The hallmark of martyrdom is that it is achieved without eyeing for rewards either in this world and the world hereafter.”

(Even a lay man knows that a law enforcement personnel tries to perform well in order to get rewards from his or her seniors. Mr Sifwat had received a number of medals for his participation in going against the militants. This shows that he was looking for rewards and medals. But, a martyr on the contrary, does not have any greed for such rewards and medals.)

Finally, Mr Amar Jaleel says, “A pickup carrying law enforcing personnel turns turtle and falls in a ditch. A few of the personnel die in the accident. The news agencies bestow upon them the honour of martyrdom.”

(I think no other argument of Mr Jaleel is stronger than this when he calls news  agencies tempering the title of Martyr for the law enforcement personnel).

To me and Mr Jaleel, Mr Sifwat is not a martyr because:

1. He was being paid for his official duties.
2. The track record of his service conveys that he was fond of achieving medals, awards and promotions. What he did, he did not do it selflessly, but for a clear motive of attaining medals, awards and promotions.
3. Apart from official duties, Mr Sifwat is not reported to have done anything on his own against militants. What he did, he did it while using official perks and privileges. A martyr on the other hand does all his best on his own without the support from any other side.

Farrukh Sahab, you are still entitled for your right to disagree with me or with Mr Amar Jaleel. Moreover, you may be knowing more than me about “Policing” because you yourself are a police man, with such a background, you may be in a good position to reach a rational decision.

Thank you for your time.
Take care. And have a good day!

My Response

Dear Sikandar Sahab,

Hope you are doing fine.

I am glad that once again you did a candid analysis of my take. Well, I still disagree with your frame of reference (since your point of view is an out come of ‘frame of reference’).

Apart from this, I am still ‘on board’ with worthy Amar Jaleel and find him on my side (another beauty of a prolific writer that we both are referring to his writings and getting two different meanings ). I think, the difference of opinion between you and me, based on reading of same piece of writing, is an out come of our different sets of experiences and to me it is justifiable and fair.

Therefore, I feel like stopping here in exchange of this healthy argument.

Further, I would recommend you to please try finding some material on Sifwat Ghayyur and work done by him selflessly; you might consider interviewing some his junior and Senior colleagues or others related to him, only than you will be able to realize to what sort of person he remained throughout his life.

I wish you all the best and God bless you.

Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three.

He truly was a person who created a nation state and today we are proud Pakistanis. At the moment, few things are not in order but still we are progressing and will not stop. We need to take inspiration from his sayings and speeches and here, I would like to quote one that is pretty relevant when it comes to Public Service:

Service is backbone of the state. Governments are formed, Government is defeated, Prime Ministers come and go, but you stay on, and, therefore, there is a very great responsibility placed on your shoulders.

He was a visionary and it will not be out of place to remark that his character was legendary. His place in history of our nation is unique and we must seek inspiration from him to make our beloved country ever stronger.

The today’s bomb blasts is something that belongs to a series of such blasts in major cities of Pakistan. The other day, Rawalpindi witnessed one such occasion. In this hour of worry and grief, we need to send a strong signal to those who are involved in such cowardly activities. We as a nation must make it clear to these elements that we are united and will not let anyone mar the name of our nation.

Lastly, I would like to pay homage to all the Shuhada Karam who have accepted martyrdom in these blasts and other such incidences. May Peace Prevail in Pakistan! May Peace Prevail on Earth!

India and Pakistan are at daggers drawn since beginning, three wars, other limit strikes and counter strikes are something routine by now. Every then and now both countries conflict around and things get back to normal. In many a cases when election are nearby, on either side, politician tend to gain mileage by creating some puppet show and resulting irreparable losses. When we will keep this thing in our mind, we will conclude that this paper is more a cheap propaganda stunt by writer and those behind him for some political motive.

Apart from this, if we will look at the recommendations, we will easily gather that in majority of cases, the author has based his argument on Utopian elements instead of concrete facts and sounds over ambitious. For my readers,  I am publishing the content here:

Economic destabilisation of the Terror Central is imperative for rooting out terror.

I did not anticipate the huge response my inbox received for the article last week (December 2) slamming Pakistan. Many of those who wrote in have sought concrete steps to tackle the Terror Central. The terror attack on world citizens at Mumbai has created revulsion and outrage all over the world. It is imperative that India seize the opportunity provided to destabilise Pakistan.

A stable Pakistan is not in the interest of world peace, leave alone India. Army controls the country and owns its economy. A significant portion of its GDP is due to army-controlled entities (See Military Inc Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy by Ayesha Siddiqa; OUP; 2007). One can easily say that Pakistan Economy and its Army/ISI are synonymous.

Unless this elementary fact is internalised, we are not going anywhere. This implies we should stop talking of a stable Pakistan since a stable Pakistan means multiple attacks on many more cities of India by that rogue organisation ISI, which is the core of the Pakistan Army and the heart of Pakistan’s economy.

Let us not even assume that Zardari is in control. Poor man – he did not trust his own investigators to probe his wife’s assassination – he wanted Scotland Yard to do the job. Now he blabbers that if his investigators are satisfied, then he will initiate action against terrorists sitting inside Pakistan. Periodically, the Pakistan Army likes to present some useful idiots (as Lenin would have called them) as elected representatives and we swoon over such events.

India should take the following steps to destabilise the economy of Pakistan:

Identify the major export items of Pakistan (like Basmati rice, carpets etc) and provide zero export tax or even subsidise them for export from India. Hurt Pakistan on the export front.

Identify the major countries providing arms to Pakistan and arm twist them. Tell Brazil and Germany (currently planning to supply massive defense items to Pakistan) that it will impact their ability to invest in India. Tell Germany that retail license to Metro will be off and other existing projects will be in jeopardy.

Incidentally, after the arrival of Coke and Pepsi in China, the human rights violations of China are not talked about much by US government organs. Think it is a coincidence? Unless we use our markets to arm-twist arms exporters to Pakistan, we will not achieve our objectives.

Tell American companies that for every 5% increase in FDI limit for them, their government needs to reduce equipping Pakistan by $5 billion. That is real politics, not whining. Let us remember that funds are in desperate search of emerging markets and not the other way about. Let us also remember that international economics is politics by another name.

Create assets to print/distribute their currency widely inside their country. To some extent, Telgi types can be used to outsource this activity. Or just drop their notes in remote areas.

Pressurise IMF to add additional conditionality to the loans given to them or at least do not vote for their loans.

Create assets within Pakistan to destabilise Karachi Stock market – it is already in shambles.

Cricket and Bollywood are the opium of the Indian middle classes. Both have been adequately manipulated/ controlled by the D-company since the eighties. Chase the D-company money in cricket/ Bollywood and punish by burning D-assets in India instead of trying to have them auctioned by the IT department when nobody comes to bid for it.

Provide for capital punishment to those who fund terror and help in that. We have the division in the finance ministry to monitor money laundering, etc. It is important that terror financing is taken seriously and fully integrated into money laundering monitoring systems and this division is provided with much larger budget and human resources. And it should coordinate with RAW.

Encourage and allow scientists/ academicians/ elites of Pakistan to opt for Indian passport and widely publicise that fact since it will hurt their self-respect and dignity. There will be a long queue to get Indian passports — many will jump to get our passport — since they will not be stopped at international airports. It is rumoured that Adnan Sami wants one. Do not give passports to all — make it a prized possession. Let it hurt the army and ISI controlled country. This one step will destroy their identity and self-confidence.

Discourage companies from India from investing in Pakistan, particularly IT companies, till Pakistan stops exporting its own IT (international terrorism).

In all these, it is important that we do not bring in the domestic religious issues. The target is the terror central, namely Pakistan, and if there are elements helping them here then they also should be punished-irrespective of religious labels. If Pakistan is dismantled and the idea of Pakistan is gone, many of our domestic issues will also be sorted out.

Will the Indian elite go for the jugular or just light more candles and scream at the formless/ nameless political class before TV cameras? It is going to be a long haul and may be in a decade or so, we can find a solution to our existential crisis of being attacked by barbarians from the West. We need to combine strategy and patience and completely throw to the dustbin the ‘Gujral Doctrine’ by that mumbling Prime Minister about treating younger brothers with equanimity.

The doctrine essentially suggests that if we are slapped on both the cheeks we should feel bad that we do not have a third cheek to show. He, according to security experts, seems to have dismantled our human intelligent assets inside Pakistan, which has resulted in the gory death of thousands of Indian citizens in the last few years. Such is our strategic thinking in this complex world since our political class is not adequately briefed and the elite don’t think through issues. Better to be simple in our talks and vicious in our actions rather than the other way.

Hopefully, this November attack will create a new vibrant India capable of taking care of its own interests.

The writer is professor of finance and control, Indian Institute of Management – Bangalore, and can be reached at vaidya@iimb.ernet.in. Views are personal.

Share This ]]> http://drfarrukhmalik.com/blog/2008/12/10/twelve-steps-to-shock-and-awe-pakistan%e2%80%99s-economy/feed/ 0 http://drfarrukhmalik.com/blog/2008/11/29/pakistani-youth-and-css-pakistan/ http://drfarrukhmalik.com/blog/2008/11/29/pakistani-youth-and-css-pakistan/#comments Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:55:43 +0000 Dr Farrukh Malik http://drfarrukhmalik.com/blog/?p=628 Few moments back, when I happened to check comments by my readers, I came accross a very strong piece about Civil Services of Pakistan. This comment by a reader of mine named Sanna left me thinking.…

It was dream come true for African Americans to see Barrack Obama winning the United States (US) election 2008. It was not less than a miracle to see a black president where persecution of African Americans was mere routine in recent past. The victory of Obama is something that is an out come of his polity which can be judged through his election campaign slogan of ‘Change we need’. It is true that US needs the change badly but will Obama and his fellows be able to offer that change? Very little can be said or judged at the moment.

It is believed by many that after 9/11, the US policy took a new turn. I can recall clearly to what were the statements of then President Bush followed by his doctrine of preemption. Iraq was attacked, followed by Afghanistan in the name of so called War against Terror. Such steps were welcomed by US citizens as well as many others since to then emotional nation it was the only viable option, the option to fight for so called freedom and die in the line of duty but time proved it otherwise. Now, it is widely accepted by many US nationals as well as spectators around world that their policy of preemptive attacks was flawed and it resulted in a damage that will require a great deal of time for repair. Though, this policy of insane confrontation pleased many like Donald Rumsfeld and other disciples of Leo Strauss termed neo-conservative but in the long run since this policy was unnatural so it failed to come up to the expectations of common US citizens. In the after math of this Vietnam like failure of US to get the required results in Iraq and Afghanistan, the support of Bush and his coteries started falling. This offered a window to Democrats and they made it to presidency once again with the dreams of a better tomorrow with change in American policies.

It will not be wrong to point out that US citizens were really looking for a change and when Democrats offered them the dreams of change, they ran after them but will those dreams see the day’s light? It is a difficult yet important question but in order to get the answer, we will have to wait and watch Obama work towards the fulfillment of promises he has made to his nation and world. Let us all see if he is able to bring the change he was professing for so long. Will he be able to curb the torture course adopted in Guantanamo bay Prison? Will he be able to bring the US troops back to home from Iraq? Will he be able to make us see the change? I wonder if it is possible but what else we can do than believing in dreams sold to us in the name of better tomorrow.

Lastly, it is worthy of mention that the war against terror is very important but the ways US and other nations are using to deal with this menace are not the right ones. In order to fight terror, one needs to fight the mentality behind it including the causes of such mentality. We can not cure the disease unless we treat the underlying cause similarly, the terrorism has a complex underlying cause that is multifaceted in nature and we need to take it in account before dealing it. Barrack Obama, appears reasonably sensitized to this issue and we hope we will do the homework properly before embarking upon some course and will not repeat the mistakes the others have done in past. I wish him all the very best and hope we will stay sane.

Caricature Credits: The Artwork of Niall O Loughlin

Pakistan is passing through a difficult phase of its history. BBC reports that Pakistan is facing fiscal pressure due to wider trade deficit in wake of transport strike. The New York Times writes that Foreign exchange reserves have shrunk to $5.7 billion, with only about $3 billion available to cover payments for oil and food. Moreover the foreign exchange has decreased to record. Consequently, Moody’s, the international credit rating agency, cut Pakistan’s credit outlook from “stable” to “negative” on Tuesday, citing dwindling foreign exchange reserves, risks from extremists and high inflation. This situation is increasingly worrisome for political leadership and intelligentsia. In this sorry state of affairs, the formation of Friends of Pakistan by President Asif Ali Zardari is under discussion.

It is being reported that, Friends of Pakistan is a brain child of President Asif Ali Zardari that got materialized on September 26, 2008 with its inaugural ceremony held on the occasion of 63^rd General Assembly Meeting of United Nations Organization.

The idea initially was floated by President Zardari and was finalized in a meeting at 10 Downing Street London between President and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. In this meeting both the leader agreed upon its launch on the auspicious occasion of UN General Assembly meeting at New York, US and Prime Minister Gordon Brown assured his full support to Pakistan.

It is being quoted by media that inspiration of formation of friends of Pakistan Group came from a similar group named Friends of Afghanistan (FOA) locally named as ‘Dostan Afghanistan’ that is affiliated with National Peace Crops association (NPCA) based in Washington DC, US. National Peace Corps Association was established in 1961 and was incorporated in 1983 and it has 130 affiliate groups working in 134 developing countries. Apart from this two other groups with similar name, ‘Friends of Pakistan’ are functional. One of them is part of Association of Pakistani Professionals and has 40 chapters in US, Canada, Europe and Pakistan. The second group with the name Friends of Pakistan is an affiliate of NPCA like FOA. Here, it is important to note that none of these groups have backing of Government.

In aftermath of dialogue between President Zardari of Pakistan and British PM Brown, the launching ceremony of FOP took place on Friday September 26, 2008 at New York. The ceremony was attended the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, representatives of China, the European Union, the United Nations, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari. This launch was co-chaired by President Zardari.

Hours latter, a statement from US state department was issued from Chairman of Friends of Pakistan Group. This statement gives the details of agreements that Friends of Pakistan will help Government of Pakistan in five sectors namely, stability, development, border areas, energy and institution building. Further, it was told that the group will meet in month’s time at Abu Dhabi to discuss the measure required to achieve the goal.

Soon after launch, President Zardari, Secretary Rice, Secretary Miliband and UAE Foreign Minister Abdallah bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan spoke with media. “I hope that the President and the Pakistani people were assured today that the international community will be by their side as they take difficult decisions and move toward a more stable and prosperous Pakistan”, Said Secretary Rice. When a question was asked about financial assistance to Pakistan She pointed out the US is engaged with Pakistan through Financial Institution (IMF, WB and ADP). “Every single one of our countries stands shoulder to shoulder with the Government of Pakistan, the democratically elected Government of Pakistan, and the people of Pakistan in their struggle against terrorism which is a threat to them as well as a threat to us.”, remarked Secretary Miliband. “We fully back Pakistan. The UAE has been a very close ally, friend in Pakistan. But we want to further our relationship with Pakistan. We want to show our Pakistani friends and brothers our commitment towards them.” said Foreign Minister Al Nuhayyan. President Zardari thanked the dignitaries, “I look at U.S. support as a blessing. I look at the world support as a blessing to Pakistan.” remarked President Zardari.

‘Friends of Pakistan group’ is under discussion among political analyst at the moment. Questions are being raised about its success. In the first meeting no pledge of grant in aid was promised though Secretary Rice gave a clue that US will not engage with Pakistan directly but will work through international financial institution but this support was conditional too. The conditions Secretary Rice was talking will not be new. Pressure on Pakistan is mounting and it is multicentric. In such a situation I wonder if Pakistan has any other option left except to succumb to the demands of so called ‘Friends of Pakistan’. As President Zardari said that he is not asking them to give us fish but want to learn how to fish but leaning fishing from US and fishing for them can cost a lot because at times they hunt for big Fishes like Laden and Saddam! At the moment, the things are not yet clear and it is no time for prediction. The sky will get cleared once the first meeting is takes place as scheduled in Abu Dhabi.

 What the few of us battling losers, concerned with open spaces and parklands in this congested overpopulated city, really want is money from those who have money….

I wonder if this request should receive some response or not? Let it not fall on deaf ears. Besides, atleast being the ultimate grand losers, the public (so called awam), we must answer his following call,

….and vocal support from the public, the awam, who are the ultimate grand losers when they find themselves with a city in which open spaces, parks and beaches are few and far between.

Last but not least, Cowasjee has offered a viable and valuable idea to our newly elected president of Pakistan, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari in following words,

To battle the marauders, who are supported always by the government of the day, is not an easy job. But there is an alternative to battling. Can the all-powerful president of the republic Asif Ali Zardari come to the help of the people of Karachi, the city in which his wife was born, raised and schooled? Concerted cries of “Jeay Bhutto” will not keep her memory alive. He has named in remembrance of her a road in Rawalpindi and an airport in Islamabad. In Karachi what he can do is on each of these three open spaces build and nurture parks in her memory, erect monuments, plant trees and flowers, make them into areas of peace and tranquility where the poor and the rich may rest, breathe the air, even meditate, and in tranquillity remember the good done by Benazir Bhutto.

So, what is next? Nothing, I think, I have done what I can do to spread his word and support him and many like minded fellows with my voice. Now, it’s your turn to show up and say it loud, especially those who like me are in eternal love with Karachi being heart and soul of Sindh.

In my view, Mr. Zardari has the ability is wise enough to lead the nation provided he doesn’t revert to type. If he eschews all hints of corruption, he can work for the betterment of this nation and we may be able to progress. 

At the moment the nation is facing alot of challenges in the wake of political turmoil and deadlocks.

Crisis after crisis has broken the back of the entire system and it has left the fate of the entire nation in limbo.

In this condition the newly elected president must prioritize things in a proper order. In my view, Mr. Zardari should consider the issue of political instability as an issue of prime importance. If he is able to bring the political stability to country, only then, we will be able to progress towards stability in other arenas of national life including economy. Apart from this, other issue like Militancy in Balouchistan and unwanted Islamic insurgency and extemeism are long waiting in cue.

Here, it is worthy to mention that election of Mr. Zardari has offered new hopes to the People of his native Province of Sindh who were disappointed after the death of Benazir Bhutto but I wonder if their aspirations are going to get answered.

In last I would say, be it the issue of political instability or the aspiration of People of Sindh, Balouchistan crisis or surge in Islamic extremism, it is high time for Pakistan and people for waiting for a change that could bring the relief to already suffering nation.