The Pakistani Idol

Farheen Anwar | Head-Set Option | Wednesday, May 30th, 2007

No matter what efforts the US-allied Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf puts in, it will never suffice a continuous unconditional amicable response from the West. The government has stooped down to levels such that the former Education Minister Zubeda Jalal single-handedly decided to exclude significant portions from the religious syllabi of schools just because they taught about ‘Jihad’, litterally translated as spiritual struggle. In late 2006, Musharraf’s regime bombed madarsa’s (religious schools) in Northern Pakistan to prevent the country from potential terrorists. He is also liable for all the lives lost in Afghanistan because of the Air base offered to the US Airforce. On March 30, 2007, an Islamic Radio Station was shut which was aparently set up by pro-taliban clerics. Every time the US pressurizes Pakistan to prove its pet-tish nature, the Pakistani military holds pretentious peace talks with Waziristan’s residents which undoubtedly result in the capture of a few prospects to fill the ‘vacant’ Guantanamo Bay prisons.

It clearly demonstrates the level to which Pakistan’s current government is ready to give up its dignity and little respect that it may once have had. But will any of this be enough to receive continuous patronage and support from the West? And if it is, how much more of the constitution will be amended, how many more lives lost, how many years till Pakistani leaders comprehend the irregularity of Western-aid to Pakistan? It has for years, been an on-and-off event; whether Pakistan was allied or not, US and other foreign aid has been inconsistent through out history. Even today, after all these measures were taken, newspapers, critics and Western leaders continue to demean Pakistani alliance and never appreciated the extent to which Musharraf’s regiment sidelined all religious hardliners. Why is it, that these politicians choose not to learn from history?

No matter how ‘pleasant’ international relations may be,current affairs within Pakistan demonstrate extreme state instability in the interiors of this politically-befuddled nation. The Chief Justice vs President case seems to be beating the bush in convoluted terms and the aim of each has now been resigned to dirtying the other’s professional records. The MQM audaciously continues to threaten, now not only the lives of political figures but also all journalists involved with the coverage of this case and the May 12th incident.

What does the government do to implement its Western agenda without the public’s intervention and criticism? They introduce an ‘American Idol’ into the country, contrasting only to suit the different audience of the country. The Imam of the Ka’bah, Adbul Rahman Al-Sudais is invited to the country which attracts not only the most religious peoples’ attention but also that of the semi-religious and even that of ‘Islamic modernists’ to whom such events represent the full extent of religious fervor and devoutness. But the question holds, who, amongst the following short-listed nominees will win the Pakistani Idol:

  1. The President Pervez Musharraf and his pawn government electives
  2. The Chief Justice and his Opposition supporters
  3. The MQM and their incessant juvenile tactics to ‘liberate’ muhajirs (immigrants) and separate Karachi from the rest of the country
  4. The innocent Pakistani citizen who needs no more than a peaceful economic environment to subsist

The result is in the hands of every Pakistani civilian. Cast your vote now because by remaining apolitical, one exhibits apathy for oneself and one’s own future generations.

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