Rahmat Ali’s Impossible Dream ( Pakistan )

(The Post is influenced By the writing of Sir Cam Cambridge, UK)

When Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah bid farewell to Delhi and arrived in Karachi on August 7, 1947, he confessed to his ADC, “Do you know, I never expected to see Pakistan in my lifetime.” Pakistan was a dream — a Cambridge student’s dream at that. When the idea was first proposed it was labeled “chimerical and impracticable”. Student follies, however, have a habit of sometimes becoming reality. Pakistan was one “student’s scheme”.

Choudhary Rahmat Ali, a Cambridge University law student, initiated the movement for Pakistan by issuing the pamphlet Now or Never, or the Pakistan Declaration, on January 28, 1933 from 3 Humberstone Road, Cambridge. To make the claim more representative he had the document signed by three other students, none of whom was at Cambridge.

Calling Rahmat Ali “a historical figure and a seminal thinker”, Pakistan’s eminent historian KK Aziz acknowledges in Rahmat Ali: A Biography: “He was the first to think of a sovereign status for the Muslims of India, to prepare a well-defined plan for this, to organise a movement for advancing the cause, and to mount a proper campaign for preaching to the unconverted.”
And in addition he also came up with the anagram “Pakistan”. Jinnah’s biographer, Stanley Wolpert, has written that Rahmat Ali issued a “massive quantity of strange religio-political pamphlets and letters.”

According to Aziz Beg, another biographer of Jinnah, Rahmat Ali’s ideas stirred the young and inspired the “growth of Muslim political consciousness throughout India”. Wolpert says that Jinnah chose to ignore Rahmat Ali, but “He (Jinnah) would not, however, be able much longer to ignore the political demand of Rahmat Ali’s obviously well-funded movement sponsored from the heart of Cambridge.”

Both Jinnah and Rahmat Ali arrived in the UK in November 1930. Jinnah, the brilliant lawyer from Bombay, soon bought a house in Hampstead and pursued his legal career and attempted, without much luck, to enter parliament. The young Rahmat Ali went to Cambridge and commenced his bar-at-law in London.

In 1933, when ‘Now or Never’ was issued, Jinnah was aged 57, while Rahmat Ali was 36.
Jinnah had become disillusioned and had lost hope for India when Rahmat Ali started his youthful agitation for Pakistan. When Rahmat Ali discussed the Pakistan idea with Jinnah in the spring of 1933, Jinnah called it an “impossible dream”. When things didn’t work out as he expected in London or perhaps he simply got bored leading the life of an English gentleman, Jinnah returned to India in 1934 to take up the leadership of the All-India Muslim League.
By 1940 the League had got nearer to the Pakistan idea by adopting the famous Lahore Resolution. However, it did not mention the word Pakistan. Jinnah himself did not use the word Pakistan until the early 1940s. Once Jinnah took up a case, it was a certainty that he’d win. As far as Pakistan was concerned, Jinnah was a late starter. But once the single-minded barrister had picked up the Pakistan file, it was only a matter of time before the country would be established. August 14, 1947 came soon enough.

For Jinnah it was a case of “Better a moth-eaten Pakistan than no Pakistan”. Rahmat Ali, the visionary, found this difficult to accept. Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre write in Freedom at Midnight, “The man who had first articulated the impossible dream of Pakistan spent the day of 14 August alone in his cottage at 3 Humberstone Road [he was actually there only as a student in the academic year 1932/33]... His dream belonged to another man now, the man who scorned it when Rahmat Ali had first begged him to become its champion.”


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choudhary_Rahmat_Ali

Altaf faces interview with Najam Sethi

There is a long synopsis of the interview of Mr. Altaf Hussain, leader of the Muttahida Quami Movement who was interviewed by a renowned journalist named Najam Sethi while in London, United Kingdom.

Altaf started answering questions by offering Najam Sethi with a self-hand-made Haleem party then moving on to clarifying the allegations on his party came during Military operation against his party in 1992.

<<>> At the beginning of the interview, Altaf Hussain reveals that Nawaz Sharif agreed after his first term government that no operation against mqm will ever take place in future now.

Najam Sethi asked about how you plan to work with Nawaz Sharif if he becomes prime minister, of which Altaf said that his party has got its doors of negotiations open for all political parties.

Changing the ladder, Altaf Hussain tells about some facts about how mqm was accused of Hakeem Said murder of which the court proved the party innocent.

Altaf also tells about the fact that there was an APC held in London in which Nawaz Sharif presented with a clause in the MoU that no party should negotiate with MQM for any coalition, where as Pakistan People’s Party was the only party which disagreed to sign the clause.

After 2008 election, Altaf addressing in his first speech, congratulated Nawaz Sharif by his name and publically told Nawaz Sharif that MQM is a democratic party and accepts its mandate with an open heart. When Najam Sethi asked if Nawaz Sharif responded to your good gesture, Altaf Hussain said that no such message came from the other side.

Altaf complained that after elections, Nawaz didn’t openly accept the victory mandate of MQM and accepted that MQM is Pakistan’s third largest political party.

Altaf Hussain said about the peace situation of Karachi that ever since the law and order situation turned foil in northern areas of Pakistan, the situation has begun to turn violent.

Altaf asked Najam Sethi to consider the crime records of month of June 2009; and see yourself what kind of Taliban have been arrested from Karachi possessing highly explosive materials and automatic weapons. He said that Taliban are trying to settle in the outskirts of Karachi where the middle and lower-middle class neighborhood of citizen been living since decades.

Answering to a question by Najam Sethi that why nationalist parties and Muttahida Quami Movement have a similar agenda to keep the IDPs out of Sindh, MQM chief Altaf Hussain said that the nationalist parties are against any arrival of the displaced people, whereas Muttahida Quami Movement is welcoming IDPs but just with a condition that the people arriving must be registered and information like their names, father names be recorded and they be settled in a separate designated area.

Najam Sethi questioned Altaf Hussain about the violence took place in the beginning of June of which Altaf Hussain responded that MQM had announced within the citizens of Karachi and asked them to establish citizen’s vigilance committees to overlook any Talibanization taking place there, and as a result Taliban took preemptive measures and started violent actions.

Furthering to that, Altaf said that Taliban started a land grabbing activity in the outskirts of Karachi, which resulted in locals defending their neighborhood which then turned violent.

At a point during interview, Najam Sethi mentioned that it has been you Altaf Hussain who has been the first to signal the danger of Taliban to Pakistan, your party was the first party and we saluted you, and now all the Pakistan seconds your policy against Taliban. Najam also mentioned that when Muttahida Quami Movement first began to denounce Taliban, other political parties started supporting Taliban and literally called them heroes as they were fighting against their common enemy ‘America’.

Altaf said that he salute the officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army, Frontier Constabulary, and Police who are fighting war against Taliban in the northern areas of Pakistan.

Altaf Hussain mentioned one key thing of his point that he has been signaling danger of Taliban in Pakistan from last 2-3 years and if a proper action would have then taken, the situation would have not been worst like it is at present.

When Najam Sethi asked why Gen (R) Pervez Musharraf did not, the then president of Pakistan, took actions against the Taliban to such extent, Altaf said that Muttahida Quami Movement was a collation party and was not the absolute authority to take actions, but did what was possible by informing via phone calls and giving press statements to take actions. Altaf also mentioned that Muttahida Quami Movement took a different stance on the issue of Baluchistan than that of the government in power.

Altaf Hussain said that on the 12th May it was a conspiracy against Muttahida Quami Movement by the hidden forces that literally provided weapons, funds and MQM party flags to some covert persons and sent them to hide themselves in different parties during the rally. Altaf said that witnesses including photographs, video films can be presented into the courts if asked.

Altaf Hussain questioned Najam Sethi that how could MQM even think of any violence taking place on the 12th May rally in which thousands of women and children, including mothers, sisters and daughters were participating. Altaf said that if MQM had pre-planned any violence, then why would they have let the rally be attended by their supporter women and children?

While smiling Najam Sethi asks Altaf Hussain, What is a secret hand and hidden force? Responding to that Altaf Hussain said that Ojri Camp incident – it was a secret hand, Liaqat Ali Khan murder – was a secret hand, Benazir Bhutto assassination, – was a secret hand, a number of lost democratic governments – it was a secret hand, which is still secret and a mystery.

He explicitly took name of Punjab and said that the awareness is being spread in Punjab now, and said that just like your wife (Najam Sethi’s wife), stood to raise her voice against Taliban, the message that the status-quo of feudal class and a country’s ruling by some special blessed families, is spreading wider than before, who have been ruling the country from last 60 plus years.

<<>> Altaf Hussain said that Muttahida Quami Movement is the only party in Pakistan which is against feudal system in Pakistan, which is against the ’selling’ of assembly tickets, and that’s the only reason that neither I have ever contested an election for senate, provincial or national assembly, for speaker, deputy speaker or for mayor or deputy mayor, nor my any brother, sister contested ever have.

Najam Sethi asked that why the people of Punjab do not like the anti-feudal and anti-family-politics ideology of Muttahida Quami Movement of which Altaf answered that in Punjab, there has been a massive propaganda against MQM that will take a while to negate itself and this is going to take some time.

When Najam Sethi asked who did this propaganda, the chief of MQM said that the ‘country’s feudal elite’ and a coalition of generals of the army and civil bureaucrats, and the trica of these forces who wants to maintain this status quo.

Altaf asked that more Muslims are living in India than in Pakistan, being the Muslim power divided. He said that if we suppose for a while what if Quaid-e-Azam’s 14 point were accepted by Congress as is and subcontinent was not divided.

He said that a very few people are aware of this fact that, in his address at Allahabad India during Presidential Address on the 25th Session of the All India Muslim League on 29th December 1930; Allama Iqbal never asked for the establishment of the state of Pakistan, but instead he said that wherever there is a Muslim majority in sub-continent, it should be formed into a small state.

Altaf said that the people of Punjab can verify this statement by the son of Allama Iqbal, Justice Rtrd. Dr. Javed Iqbal.

Najam Sethi asked about the Jinnahpur saga which was made a reason to eliminate Muttahida Quami Movement during the 1992 operation. Najam Sethi said that the whole picture now sounds like propaganda as now Muhammad Ali Durrani has also presented a bill in the Senate of Pakistan that there should be smaller provinces coming out of 4 large provinces.

Answering to the Jinnahpur saga which was raged against MQM, Altaf Hussain said that there was a Brigadier named Asif Nawaz who was at that time present in Karachi, called a press conference in which he invited the journalists from Punjab but never invited any single journalist from Karachi & Sindh and presented them with fake and fictitious Maps of Jinnahpur and lured them to publish the maps on their front pages of newspapers with the news of MQM secretly planning a Jinnahpur.

Altaf said that just a few days later, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) which is a public relations department of forces o Pakistan, sent an in-writing clarification to the media, stating that the Pakistan Army have never found any Jinnahpur Map or plan from any office of Muttahida Quami Movement and this information is completely baseless.

Altaf complained that the ISPR clarification that no such thing as Jinnahpur existed, did not get as much media attention as it was when MQM was blamed, and newspapers published just a one-column news, where as the Jinnahpur propaganda news against MQM was placed in the headlines of the newspapers.

Najam Sethi asked if MQM approached court against the defamation of the party with the Jinnahpur propaganda, to which Altaf said that since there is a clarification already published in the newspapers, nothing more can be done now to recover from the defamation.

Answering to another question of having smaller provinces in Pakistan is feasible; he said that that this is a global phenomena to create multiple administrative units by introducing more smaller provinces just like we have seen India.

Altaf said that the population of Punjab is equal to that of whole Iran, which has 36 provinces. Having that in front of us, there is a dire need of creating new administrative units. As people of Saraiki area and people of Bahawalpur are demanding creation of new provinces, as this will be in the favor of the country and will make it further easy to administer and will also ease the federal government’s job.

Altaf Hussain said that this is also written in the manifesto of Muttahida Quami Movement that the demand of Saraiki people and the people of south Punjab be fulfilled with the creation of a new province who have been complaining that they have been the servants of the throne of Lahore since the creation of Pakistan.

The leader of the MQM said that during my address in the India, I said that Pakistan is a reality and India is a reality and both the countries should accept each other with an open heart. Staging war and rift relations between militaries of the both countries is not in the favor of the citizens of the countries. The people of the both countries should be allowed to roam freely and there should be open trade to improve economic ties.

Najam said that two days ago I asked Gen (R) Pervez Musharraf that who is our enemy? If it’s India which is our enemy? As it has been told us from the last 40-50 years, on it is not. Responding that Pervez Musharraf said that there is a threat from India, but our enemy is Taliban.

Commenting on the statement of Pervez Musharraf, Altaf Hussain said that unfortunately there has been ruling elite in both the countries which have taught their citizens that India and Pakistan are enemies of each other. He also said that both the countries are now an equipped with nuclear arsenal and this is not easy to say that even after being nuclear powers, two countries could afford to go in a war.

Altaf said that this is my humble request to leaders of Pakistan and India that they should improve relations and learn from the history of Europe. He mentioned that countries in Europe have fought countless number of wars for 1000 years, including first and second world wars and there are countless number of one-to-one wars and now they have learnt from it. He also said that if we look at Europe, now they have learnt this lesson that there are no benefits of war.

Najam Sethi asked Altaf Hussain about what do you think if the Judiciary is free to decide in Pakistan? Responding to it Altaf said that the justice should be easily accessible by common people and not just the elite class. He said that the justice also be served to the people who are jailed for as long as 15 years for minor crimes and supreme court should also take suo moto action on it.

At the end, Najam Sethi asked about the NRO as it helped to overcome political cases against all parties, to which Altaf replied that this can be better decided in the court of law of how to deal with NRO, and if the NRO gets declared illegal, Muttahida Quami Movement will contest any pending case the way it has contested the others.

CLAIMING WHAT YOU CANNOT PRACTICE IS PAKISTAN POLITICS

On 12th May 2009 when the city was observing a High Securty Red Alert, CID Police seized a heavy consignment of Automatic weapon from an Intercity Coach Standing in a locality of SITE Karachi.The Coach arrived in Karachi on the same date after travelling more than 1200 KM from Peshawar; the provincial head of the Pakistan’s dirturbed NWFP provience.A Public Holiday was announced by the Sindh Government to ease the tension rising in the city after an ethnic group called for Strike and openly issue threats for the property and lives of comman citizens of Karachi.The Political Party rulling Karachi recently criticize the role of same ethnic group for supporting and patronizing the massive land grabbing, drug and arms trafficing in subrups of the City by the Taliban Extremist.

On the Other hand Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan putting forward his opinion to establish peace in Karachi demands the federal Government to declare Karachi Arm free Zone, cancel all the license issued and seized the arm people are carrying for their safety.But a million dollar question is to Ban the arrival of illegal arms and its proliferation, as the City has no culture of weapon with it.

Diverting the nation’s attention. Pakistani Media

Yet the nizam-e-adl wasn’t enforced and the media of Pakistan was strongly supporting the law by declaring it the will of the people of SWAT and Malakand agency and supported the nizam-e-adl. The stance of the NWFP government was over confident at that moment and they were continuously supporting the soofi mohammed as a guarantor and shacked hands with the Taliban’s with a treaty that they wont resist armed force and give up arms after enforcement of Nizam-e-adl. Media was pro these talks and showed a strong support for the treaty between government of Pakistan and a banned outfit TTP.

But the situation became critical when the TTP (Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) refused to give up arms and continued their strategy for capturing as much as land in the name of nizam-e-adl. The treaty became broken and Taliban stepped out of malakand and killed people and challenged the writ of the government and the whole nation asked for an operation against Taliban’s.

The Armed forces Pakistan approach’s the insurgence areas of NWFP affected by Taliban and started an operation against them and whole nation supported this act by the armed forces against Taliban’s. According to the sources above 700 miscreants got killed in the operation and millions of people migrated from swat to different save areas of NWFP.As a common outcome of every operation for the sovereignty of Pakistan.

The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR is airlifting tonnes of additional emergency supplies to northwest Pakistan to help cope with the unfolding humanitarian disaster there The fighting has sparked a civilian exodus from the former tourist destination. In recent days 360,000 people have left their homes and in all about 500,000 are expected to flee, joining about 600,000 people displaced earlier from Swat and other areas . not only from UNHCR the whole nation is supporting the swat effected people and tents is being provided to the people and food and rest of the things as well.

At first the media supported operation against Taliban’s and condemned activities of Taliban’s. But when people get affected of the operation and start migrating from the effected areas of NWFP , first media started asking for aid and help for people of swat but on the other hands condemning the operation under the table. Yellow journalism is being proved and some anchors are portraying it bad bad and bad. Accusing the armed forces for the situation of Muhajir camps and declaring the operation in swat not in favor of the people.

The media is again changing its motive like they changed on Lal Mosque dispute and now again blaming the armed forces for lack or administrative issue’s in muhaijir camps and by criticizing the army showing the whole nation what is really happening there in muhajir camps people are suffering things which is true in fact but this own media yelled when the Taliban’s were coming into other parts of the country and asked the Army to take an immediate action against Taliban this double standard journalism is leading country no where but in turmoil and some yellow journalist are now again diverting the attention of the nation from Taliban’s to the people who got effected of this operation and by doing that they are derailing national spirit of the nation against Taliban’s.

Military action will promote extremism says Imran Khan

Imran Khan had earlier spoken at the Karachi Press Club, criticising the decision of military action against Taliban. He also said Pakistan should cut off alliance with United States in war against terrorism. He urged the government to propose an exit strategy to the US admin and put an end to US dictation. He has been vocal against the drone attacks by US army and believed that it has just increased extremism in Pakistan. He believes that people of Pakistan are vehemently opposed to Pakistan army military action in NWFP, when the actual fact is most Pakistanis have been morally supporting their Pakistan army for this action.

Imran Khan believes that dialogue is a way forward, rather than taking actions that would promote further wave of erupted violence and extremism. The government had tried dialogue through Nizam e adl and it proved to be a huge failure with Taliban not keeping their words. Imran Khan is very well aware about the failure of this peace deal. Unintentionally, he has been criticised by his opponents for having a weaker stand against the Taliban.

Although its admirable that Imran Khan is seeking peaceful means to advocate solutions to Pakistan’s current situation, however his claim that Taliban is not a serious threat to Pakistan has had doubtful implications on his stand as a politician.

Its very well being a politician who’s taken brazen steps in speaking against various parties and government, but he needs to realise such brazen steps needs to be backed by the feelings of majority of Pakistanis. If majority of Pakistanis feel military action is justified and if they feel Taliban is a serious threat, then why is he going against them?

Justice is not only blind but MUTE too

Sufi Mohammad of banned outfit Tehrek Nifaz E Sharit Mohammadi (TNSM) has openly slammed the judicial system and democracy system by claiming democracy and the Supreme Court and High courts are haram (forbidden). He furthermore added that people who claim their cases in Supreme courts and High courts are non Muslims and they should be killed for doing Kuffur by claiming their cases in the courts of Pakistan. He demanded the immediate removal of the judicial system and judges, otherwise TNSM will take action against the judicial system of Pakistan and also against the democratic system in Pakistan.

All these words spoken against the judicial and democratic system of Pakistan and no action have been taken by the founders of the justice movement, civil societies, NGOs, political parties, religious parties and social workers. Not even a single statement of condemnation was issued and of course the criminal silence of Chief justice of Pakistan Mr. Iftikhar Chaudhary, who is the main beneficiary of justice movement and God father of justice. He is directly supporting the claims of Sufi Mohammad, the chief of banned outfit.

It is very clear that justice movement was for only one individual that is Chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhary.

There is an impression now, that justice movement was carried out by the Pro Taliban powers, and that is why the Chief justice, civil societies, NGOs and other political parties like Pakistan Tehrek e Insaaf is silent, the very elements for raising its voice for the democracy in Pakistan and for the restoration of justice in Pakistan in the first place. Their silence could only mean that they agree with Sufi Mohammad and they might possibly agree that judicial system is haram and that democracy equates to infidelity (Kuffur). If it equates to infidelity then they should not have raised their voices for the justice movement. Since they have raised the justice movement they should openly condemn the statements of Sufi Mohammad and they should block Islamabad roads and create civil disobedience in the province and ask Chief justice that does our judicial system equates to infidelity and is it un Islamic.

I am confused by the leaders and civil societies who carried out the justice movement. Their silence over Sufi’s remarks is a sheer hypocrisy. If their silence is not hypocritical at all, then it means the Taliban brand of providing fast justice is the right way and our judicial and democratic system is based on infidelity and thus deemed un Islamic.

Land Mafia wants to take over Karachi

Its a well known fact, that Karachi contains a large number of Land Mafias. The land Mafia has its influence on multiple areas inside the city as well as the exit areas of Karachi.
Land mafia is involved in drugs, illegal weapons, kidnaping for ransom, bank roberies and many other crimes. This land mafia group has maked the city a living hell for common citizen.
Today when i was near gulshan chowrangi, i came to know that rangers have started an operation against these drug dealers and land mafia situated at Al-Asif and Ajmer nagri, a thought came to my mind that its not for the first time, and last time when it happened, we witnessed a blood shed in Karachi and now the same situation. Last time my bike was burnt, and i simply can't afford it once again, so i tried my best to reach home safely. I faced many problems and saw many people who look like afghanis, they all were heavily armed and were ready to destroy anything which comes to their way. My 3 colleagues have lost their bikes today, The Gangs and Mafia burnt their bikes in front of their eyes. The same pain and hatred i m feeling today what i felt on december 2008.
What happened today, was it for the interest of the people of Karachi, or was it a pre-planned setup to allow these Land mafia gangs to once again show their power, i have no doubts that they have the support of ANP (a hypocrite), JI (an Extrmisits) and Imran Khan (Anti Karachi).
These all are the real culprits behind these bloodsheds, they have their stake in all this scenario, and they are the one who gain their political advantages by creating such situations in this economic hub of Pakistan.
I, as a common citizen, knows that these terrorists have a very strong network in Karachi, and if one group is effected, the other comes into the action, but our govt. does'nt know such things, they just started the operation against them in 2 areas, without keeping any security arrangements in other sensitive areas of the City, and the time when the operation started, all the gangs of land mafia came on to the streets and started their activities, they burnt many cars, shooted many citizens, attacked homes, mis behaved Ladies and looted houses and shops.
Once again the people of Karachi are victimized by these elements and there is no one to stop or counter them.
May Allah save this City, AMEEN