Today I met four friends in Lahore. One is a lecturer at the Punjab University, the second a journalist, the third an ambitious creative writer, and the fourth a lawyer who writes very good Punjabi short stories. All of them were complaining that the West is propping up the brutal regime of Musharraf and not doing anything for the restoration of the unfairly dismissed judges. All of them agreed that the West has purchased Mushrraf's slippery slope arguments that it is either him or the Taliban OR him or the stray nukes.
Now the point is that not one of us wanted the Taliban-style Islam imposed on us and agreed that we will resist the Taliban the same way we are resisting Musharraf. And with the death of independent TV channels we are hard pressed to find the difference between the two. Both the Taliban and Musharraf mean really bad TV for Pakistan. You choke our TV, we don't want you. No matter if you are Musharraf or the Taliban. Simple.
But there was this simmering feeling of being disgruntled with the neo-liberal, pro-market Western governments who are helping Musharraf that was serious enough to calm the playful winter breeze in the Race Course Park. One of them has decided never to buy any American product in Pakistan (no to Coke, no to McDonalds, no to Pizza Hut, no to Motorola cellphones) because the American government has supported Musharraf who has given us real hard time recently. We all love the First Amendment but not the present American government.
We hate the Taliban as much as any American would but please do not alienate the moderate formations of Pakistan. We are the hope of a better world. We are the critical mass. We say that to the West after proclaiming the American First Amendment.
Below is the text of the First Amendment for Bush. Please stop helping Musharraf.
Now the point is that not one of us wanted the Taliban-style Islam imposed on us and agreed that we will resist the Taliban the same way we are resisting Musharraf. And with the death of independent TV channels we are hard pressed to find the difference between the two. Both the Taliban and Musharraf mean really bad TV for Pakistan. You choke our TV, we don't want you. No matter if you are Musharraf or the Taliban. Simple.
But there was this simmering feeling of being disgruntled with the neo-liberal, pro-market Western governments who are helping Musharraf that was serious enough to calm the playful winter breeze in the Race Course Park. One of them has decided never to buy any American product in Pakistan (no to Coke, no to McDonalds, no to Pizza Hut, no to Motorola cellphones) because the American government has supported Musharraf who has given us real hard time recently. We all love the First Amendment but not the present American government.
We hate the Taliban as much as any American would but please do not alienate the moderate formations of Pakistan. We are the hope of a better world. We are the critical mass. We say that to the West after proclaiming the American First Amendment.
Below is the text of the First Amendment for Bush. Please stop helping Musharraf.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
We also invoke the Fourth Amendment to convince the American government that Musharraf is violating the United States Bill of Rights:
Fourth Amendment – Protection from unreasonable search and seizure.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
FIVE VERY LIBERAL PAKISTANIS WHO USED TO BUY BOOTLEGGED Jack Daniels.
Pity our poor bootlegger. We are going to ask him for Swiss Xellent from now on.
We also invoke the Fourth Amendment to convince the American government that Musharraf is violating the United States Bill of Rights:
Fourth Amendment – Protection from unreasonable search and seizure.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
FIVE VERY LIBERAL PAKISTANIS WHO USED TO BUY BOOTLEGGED Jack Daniels.
Pity our poor bootlegger. We are going to ask him for Swiss Xellent from now on.
2 comments:
Shame on you and your friends who are still looking to other eurpeans countries to come and help "YOU" to bring democracy "IN" Pakistan, Well done you "Educated People" of Pakistan, I can see that unless you leave on other to come and help, you can never bring change in your country, Please be sensible now, and try to do some thing by your ownself. Please..
I agree that supporting one dictator to oppose another is counterproductive.
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