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WEEKLY
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Opinion Archive
The News International Pakistan
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| There is a way forward |
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By Tasneem Noorani
After the attack on Islamabad's Islamic University and the consequent closure of all academic institution, countrymen seem to be in a state of panic. Children are the easiest to blackmail a person through. The handlers of the kids who acted as human bombers in the Islamic University tragedy, must be gloating in their hideouts, at having brought the whole academic system of the country to a grinding halt, only by one blow.
Is closing the academic institutions the correct decision or a knee-jerk reaction?. For how long can we keep them closed? Do we handover victory to the extremist so easily? After all we can become a nation of illiterates inflicted by perpetual paranoia. We will have to find a solution to get out of this predicament. No easy solutions, but we have to keep our chin up, pull in our belly and will ourselves to move ahead with resolution. We can perhaps do the following:
Firstly, let our president, who is the de facto leader of the country, start leading from the front (a hope)--e.g., address the nation, especially the students--and boost their and their parents' morale. School administrations can be advised to form Vigilance Committees of students to boost security. Let additional guards be arranged by schools through local donations or volunteers in poorer areas. But keep our educational institutions open. Let us get on with our lives and not start to live in perpetual fear and give the pleasure of success to the extremist.
Secondly, I suspect the checking of madrasas and arrest of a few inmates in Islamabad, a day prior to the Islamabad Islamic University blast, may have had something to do with the tragedy. The tit for tat, if it develops between the two streams of education, can be catastrophic, to say the least. The negotiations with the office-bearers of Wifaq-ul-Madaris, who are mostly mainstream and law abiding Islamists, should be taken up again in earnest by the government. It is conceded by the Wifaq (I have heard it on the TV) that a large majority of madaris have been registered. Efforts should be renewed through a carrot-and-stick approach, to bring the others into the registration fold. Also the writ of the government on the registered ones should be established by the local police, who seem to have given up on this aspect of their job. Any government has a right to know what is going on in all educational institution of the country, to see if anything is being taught contrary to the approved objectives of the institution. If we have given up on this, then we might as well give up on the country. We have to take the bull by the horn. The leaders of these Wifaqs should also realise that if they continue to defy the writ of the state, they will themselves not remain safe from Islamist of sects, who are opposed to them. More than adequate government resources should be diverted to such institution, in an intelligent manner, to improve their quality and bring them into the mainstream.
Thirdly, there should be a movement to reactivate our non-political religious influentials, scholars and leaders to play an active role to bridge the gulf, which has developed between the Islamic extremists and the state.
Fourthly, there is no doubt in my mind, that we are in a state of war, at least until the South Waziristan operation is on, and the US occupation of Afghanistan continues. Perhaps it may be an idea worth considering, to mentally prepare the public to fight the "enemy" through nationalistic songs and appropriate patriotic fervour, generated by the electronic media. These incidents shock us more when the public starts feeling that we have overcome the problem, because of the excessively optimistic statements by the government ministers. It would be a preferred option to keep the public mentally prepared, to the effect that we are in a state of war, like we were in 1965 and 1971, then for ministers to beat their chest and claim victory after a few days of peace
Finally, the Kerry-Lugar Bill; the less said the better. We have been taking money from the world forever, and because of our addiction, go into a depression (of which the economic equivalent is recession) if we don't get aid. The KLB is meant to satisfying this craving. Whatever it says in the draft is also not untrue either, than where is the problem? The problem is the difference between me telling my wife not to spend beyond a certain budget and my neighbour telling my wife to do the same. I will bash the face of my neighbour for saying what I have wanted my wife to do.
The KLB has insulted the ordinary Pakistani by telling him what to do, even to the extent of telling them how to promote his army officers. Next, it could be the civil officers. The KLB is a big PR blunder of our government and an over eager and prone to lobbyist of the government of the US. Since the KLB is for five years and possibly ten, and likely to remain controversial throughout, it might prove counterproductive in the long run. If I was the GOP, I would refuse to accept it in this form. There will be a period of suspension of economic assistance, but since the Americans have self-interest in the region, they have no option but to come forth with aid through some other form or bill. Such an action will restore the self-respect of the Pakistanis in their own eyes and even in the eyes of the Americans. For the economic impact, apart from tightening our belts, let us appeal to our overseas Pakistani to divert a part of their funds they send home, from the informal to the formal channels. I am sure Mr Tarin will get his extra $1.5 billion.
Let the government start leading the country. Placing the whole responsibility on our valiant army and pinning hopes on them alone will nullify the justification for democracy in the country, and no one wants that.
The writer is a former federal secretary. Email: tasneem.noorani@tnassociates.net
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ISSN 1563-9479 