South Asia Citizens Web

Generations of politicians have used the khaps and other feudal systems to happily harvest votes. Centuries-old violent feudal systems are less risky than democratic choice. So, for decades, we have sacrificed democratic values at the altar of populism. We humour khaps, even though we know that they go against the freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution. So sheer muscle power enforce traditions that have no legal standing. Administrators, politicians, even judges are reluctant to go against popular sentiment. Add to it the slowness of our justice delivery mechanism. With the civil courts out of reach, the disempowered villager falls back on “samaj”. Instead of justice, one settles for social sanction. If we had the guts to be loyal to the Constitution khaps would die.

We urge you to reconsider the decision to supply uranium to India. This uranium will fuel the massive expansion of nuclear power programme that the Indian government is undemocratically pushing on poor people of India, criminally overlooking the concerns of safety, environment, livelihoods of surrounding populations and the financial implications.

The testimonies presented by Ahmed are striking in a number of respects. For one, they underscore how little ordinary people knew about Partition and what it potentially meant for them. This is where the state of “bewilderment” is most acute. The Muslim community in Amritsar, for instance, was convinced that their city would go to Pakistan until almost the very eve of Partition. Those in Gurdaspur found out only a few days after independence that their district had, in fact, gone to India. Criminal in this respect was the role of the British themselves, who botched the whole process from start to finish. Also striking is how the victims of violence were also often its perpetrators. Survivors and refugees for instance, were often at the forefront of “revenge attacks”. At times, it seems that all are victims and all are perpetrators.

Once again we see a crime against women by dark-minded and brutal fundamentalists. Malala Yousafzai was shot by Pakistani Taliban because she did not remain silent about the ongoing crimes and brutalities against women; because, despite her young age, she had the consciousness to stand for her rights and say ’no’ to the terrorism and misogyny of the creatures of the Stone Age.

One has suspected for some time that Goebbelsian minds are at work in Pakistan and are active in pushing public discourse onto set paths. In particular, a national consensus against religious extremism will just not be allowed to take hold to any significant degree. Is that because the extremists remain strategic assets? Or because ultra-nationalist ascendancy simply stops people from asking too many questions about their fundamental rights and the role of the state? Whatever the reason, the Malala case is proving that not much will change in Pakistan. Eleven years on, this nation still refuses to identify the enemy, let alone unite against it.