Punjab Punch...History, Politics & Culture: April 2017

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Good Leaks, Bad Leaks: Are all leaks bad?

Good Leaks, Bad Leaks: Are all leaks bad?

No matter what will be the fate of infamous Dawnleakes, but it is an interesting study if one gathered numerous leaks appeared in public regarding civilian governments and politicians. The leak story immediately raised a larger question and that is linked with definition of National Interest. Even pandats of power politics often fail to explain it even in private meetings. Remember kargil stories published in newspapers especially during last 6 months of PM Nawaz and after unconstitutional act of 12th October 1999 and if someone have record he can easily find top secret meeting news twisted against PM. I also remember what newspapers reported regarding inside stories of meeting between Rajive Gandhi and Benazier Bhutto. It is yet to decide when a leak becomes bad and how to link it with national interest. Either one like it or not, it is time to define national interest once for all. In the absence of a clear, tangible definition of national interest it is hard to deal with bad leaks. Numerous high ranking civil military officers wrote books and they extensively use inside information in it. can we call it leaks or not? One may fix some persons in recent leak scandal but larger question will remain there and it is linked with definition of national interests. Our highest civil military officers often get lucrative jobs/consultancies abroad and their private leaks may help them largely. do we have any mechanism to check them? Playing with leaks is not new phenomenon and it has a history.
After Pervaiz Rashid now Tariq Fatmi is under pressure. Is someone is unhappy with his foreign policy initiatives? Is it first fall out of Pakistan's involvement in absurd yet tricky Saudi lead 41 countries Alliance? Will this report raise new issues?

These are some stray thoughts

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Sufi Mashal Shaheed, Weak State Syndrome, Writ of the State & Ruleof Law (radio show)

Lok Lhar recorded@Mast FM103, lhore April 17, 2017
Guests:

Waqas Saeed (http://punjnud.com/) Nain Sukh Writer, novelist & Dr Saeed ur Rahman FCC University Lhore ..Along with Aamir Riaz & Afzal Sahir

Mashal incident was a shock, a reflection of Weak State Syndrome (WSS) that exists in Pakistan. Although it was a short interval of 8 to 20 hours but in fact it jeopardized writ of the State & civil society in general. There was a long silence, except social media. District government was helpless, University administration was playing, Provincial government remained absent largely, Federal government was confuse while powerful institutions as well as political parties remained silence. Although after long interval of silence, State, Supreme Court, Political Parties as well as parliament covered it but it shows that something is haunting the State. In any political disorder that interval can expand and it is largely linked with writ of the state, rule of law and political stability. The issue related to digital surveillance and digital freedom needs new thinking. Extensive use of religion was part of old narrative not only in nation building but also in defense matters since 1950s. Although it suited anti-communist powers during cold war yet it lost its utility in post cold war times yet we have many forces who remained linked with use of religion policy in state craft. Mashal case reminds us that those forces are not as weak as we claim. Finishing their hideouts in mountains was a overdue demand yet without challenging extremism and hate speech in settle areas it prove counter productive in many ways.
Let us listen the radio show
Click Here & Listen

Further reports regarding Mashal incident

http://www.wichaar.com/news/117/ARTICLE/32795/2017-04-18.html

http://www.wichaar.com/news/117/ARTICLE/32793/2017-04-18.html

http://www.wichaar.com/news/117/ARTICLE/32788/2017-04-18.html

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Review of Miraj Muhammad Khan populist politics & experiences ..Rethinking

In late 1960s many comrades had left communist formations in personification of people’s politics. It was a time of Mao, Chi and Castro, so rightly or wrongly they thought how to replicate it in Pakistan. Jamal Abdul Nasir of Egypt and Musaddiq of Iran had provoked nationalists and progressive element to work together yet objective conditions in subcontinet were much different from countries run under Kingships & totalitarianisms.

In Pakistan, some left groups tried nationalism (Sindhi, Baloch, Pukhtoon, Bengali) and had formed the National Awami Party (NAP) in the late 1950s and supported the Soviet bloc (misleadingly known as the socialist bloc). But till 1966, NAP was divided between the Chinese and Soviet camps, disappointing many progressives. Some of them had formed their own groups while some had joined the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

Analysis of those leftists who joined the PPP is still largely missing in the left narratives. Mairaj Mohammad Khan was among those who left Tufail Abbas’s communist group based in Karachi in the late 1960s. He joined the PPP, but quit the party in haste due to his romanticism (he admitted it in an interview with M Mir, available on YouTube). He also tried his best to develop a parallel party but failed.

Read the complete review and click HERE

SOME MORE USEFUL LINKS TO UNDERSTAND THE DEBATE WELL

INTERVIEWS OF M M KHAN

A radio show ..memories of M M Khan by Khwaja Saleem & Arshad Butt

A debate about left politics in Pakistan

Link of more Articles regarding left & radio shows