Give him a fighting chance
 

By Ardeshir Cowasjee

Courtesy Dawn

Reading the English transcript of General Pervez Musharraf's words,
spoken from his heart on June 5 at this year's Seerat conference,
it could be said that 'a son is born' for he has in many ways
echoed the creed of Mohammad Ali Jinnah enunciated on August 11,
1947, before the first Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, which he
adhered to up to his death.

The transcript, which was released last week by the government,
should be published in full by our press and distributed to every
school in the county to be made a compulsory text for those few
children of Pakistan who have the opportunity to learn and to
assimilate rightful thinking.

What did he say to the assembled learned pious men? He told them
(and us) a few home truths.

'Where do we stand and which way are we going? We say Islam is a
Deen. It is no mere religion. It provides guidance to us in all
walks of life. And because of this we claim it is superior to all
other faiths. But how do we actually conduct ourselves in life?
Look at Muslims everywhere and in Pakistan, too! Is this what our
Deen teaches us?

'We say Islam is for all times to come because as a Deen it relates
to practical life. But how does the world look at us? The world
sees us as backward and constantly going under. Is there any doubt
that we have been left behind although we claim Islam will carry us
forward in every age, every circumstance, in every land.

'Islam is vibrant and forward-looking. But more than that we claim
it is the most tolerant of faiths. How does the world judge our
claim? It looks upon us as terrorists. We have been killing each
other and now we want to spread that violence and terror abroad.
Naturally the world regards us as terrorists. Our claim of
tolerance is phoney in its eyes...... It is time we took stock of
our position.'

And to the self-righteous, the ignorant know-alls: 'We have no
right to tell anybody that he is bad and we are good, that we are
on the right path and he is on the wrong. Nobody has this right.'

He talked of the 'model society built by the Holy Prophet' and
asked us to try some comparison of our own society with it. Where
do we see justice and equity? Do you see it? In Pakistan? Where?
Look at the performance of the judiciary. Corruption is rampant and
misdemeanours the order of the day. Only 'sifarish' works. Merit
has no taker. The poor are oppressed. To be poor in Pakistan is a
curse.... And let us not talk of character. Can we discover it
anywhere amongst us? Are we honest and truthful? If we had been so
our country would not be where it stands today.'

He then, to use his own words, turned to more mundane 'matters'.
'Pakistan does not live in a void. It is a part of the globe. The
world has actually turned into a global village. No country can
live in isolation or stand-alone. For progress and development,
each country must interact with others.

'Unfortunately we are weak because of the causes I have already
mentioned. We do not suffer from built-in weaknesses. We have all
the resources to develop. We ourselves are responsible for our
weaknesses. As we are weak, we have to keep in step with other
countries. First acquire strength, only then can you tell others to
fall in step with you. We are in no position to dictate to others.
Common sense demands that first you attain the position from where
you can ask others to follow the path you are treading. If you make
a premature attempt you will be crushed and further weakened.'

And even more home truths: 'Seventy per cent of the world's energy
resources are in Muslim countries. But our GDP, of the entire
Muslim Ummah, comes to barely 12 to 13 billion dollars. On the
other hand, Japan's GDP stands at 5,500 billion and Germany's at
2,500 billion dollars. In other words, Germany's GDP is twice that
of the entire Ummah and Japan's four and a half times, though we
are one-fourth of the world's population sitting on 70 per cent of
its energy resources.

'Why is this so? An analysis tells us that it is all because of a
difference in the advancement of human quality, of environmental
development. Other countries have swept forward. Just take
education. In the entire Muslim world there are some 380
universities of which only 25 are of a world ranking. In Japan 1000
universities award PhD degrees. The entire Muslim Ummah can boast
of a total of 500 PhDs. In England, each year 3000 PhDs are awarded
and in India 5000. It is this that should engage our attention.
When we make an assertion we must have strength to back it up.
Wisdom dictates that we should first acquire strength, come out on
top, and then talk.'

And having finally realized the importance of law and order if the
economy is to improve: 'Our first priority is to improve the law
and order situation. Unless foreign investors come in, and our own
people make investments, we cannot make any economic headway. So
far they have not done so, neither foreign nor indigenous
investment has taken place. I confess our government has failed in
this. We have to induce investment... Undoubtedly, law and order is
an important factor which inhibits investment. Nobody will invest
where there is a fear of losing. An investor firstly looks at the
conditions pertaining in a country, particularly at law and
order....

'Religious and sectarian harmony is therefore an inescapable
necessity in Pakistan. It will unite us and bring stability. Only
that will attract others to come to Pakistan. On a recent visit, a
Chinese minister remarked that investment is like a sparrow. It
flies out as a flock of pigeons but returns one by one. So this
sparrow will come to us one by one. We are trying to attract it by
throwing seeds of incentive before it and I ask you to lend us a
helping hand.

'We provoke each other through meaningless statements. We can
improve the law and order situation by merely holding our tongues.
If we become a tolerant society where people with different
outlooks can live peacefully, investors will come.'

He cited one example of the never-ending unnecessary and damaging
boastfulness: 'One hears the boast that 'we will hoist our flag on
the Red Fort' in Delhi, that we will do this, and do that. Have you
ever thought of the consequences of such talk on the Muslims of
India? Some have come to meet me and they have told me of the
repercussions our loose tongues have on their position....'

What does bragging and crowing achieve? 'It provides India with the
excuse to call you terrorists and for others to declare you as
such, so that prospective investors stay far away from your
country. When you go around killing each other, who can consider
Pakistan a safe place for investment?'

Musharraf fired a masterly parting salvo at all the ambitious,
irresponsible people of whatever sect or bent of mind who seek
power through any means: 'Above all, religion should never be
exploited for political gains. Do not sully our glorious faith. I
say this to all those who are guilty of it.'

Were the fearsome fighting Ulema and Mashaikh-i-Kiram listening?
Did they fully comprehend what he told them? We are surrounded by
far too many who would have been comfortable and happy riding with
the hordes of Changez Khan. They need to be reminded in the
language they understand that the days of saddling chargers,
unsheathing swords, and galloping into the sunset are long over.

Musharraf's sincerity is not hidden by his SSG jacket. He is going
to meet a man who commands ten times his own weight and size of
force. Non-existent unity, a jihad mentality and bigotry will help
neither him nor his country. Jinnah's exhortations to his people
had all to do with unity, faith and discipline. The last of the
attributes is what is needed now. And the man needs our help.