جانگلوس — پنجاب کی الف لیلی: ٹیلی ویژن پر جنسیت کے فروغ کے آغاز کی کوشش

 

جانگلوس — پنجاب کی الف لیلی: ٹیلی ویژن پر جنسیت کے فروغ کے آغاز کی کوشش

 

حسن سلیم اعوان

۰۳/۰۳/۲۰۲۳

 

جانگلوس: لکھنئو میں پیدا ہونے والے، اشتراکی اور بائیں بازو کے فلسفے سے متاثر شوکت صدیقی کا دو ہزار صفحات اور تین جلدوں پر مشتمل ایک ضخیم ناول ہے۔ یہ ناول ۱۹۷۷ء اور ۱۹۹۴ء کے درمیان تحریر کیا گیا لیکن حالات اور واقعات کی ترتیب ۱۹۵۴ کے آس پاس کے دور کی ہے۔ ۸۰ کی دہائی میں پاکستان ٹیلی ویژن نے جانگلوس کی ڈرامائی تشکیل کے بعد نشر کرنا شروع کیا لیکن محض ۱۸ اقساط نشر کرنے کے بعد  یہ ڈرامہ بند کر دیا۔ نمایاں اداکاروں میں شبیر جان، سلیم ناصر، ایم وارثی، اور شگفتہ شامل تھے۔ جانگلوس سسنکرت زبان کا لفظ  ہے۔ جس کے معنی ، جنگلی، وحشی، غیر مہذب ، اجڈ اور گنوار کے ہیں۔

 

یہ ناول پاکستان اور ہندوستان کی تخلیق کے نتیجے میں ہونے والی خونریز ہجرت، جاگیردارانہ نظام، نچلے طبقے کا سماجی، معاشی اور سیاسی استحصال، استبداد، استحصال زدہ طبقات کا جرائم کی جانب راغب ہونا، مجرموں کی نفسیات، ہندوستان سے ہجرت کر کے آنے والوں کی آبادکاری کے نام پر زمینوں اور جائیدادوں کی وسیع درجے کی خردبرد، معاشرے میں پائی جانے والی ضعیف الاعتقادی اور خواتین کے ہر طرح کے استحصال جیسے موضوعات کا ہی احاطہ نہیں کرتا بلکہ پنجاب، خاص طور پر وسطی پنجاب، کی انتہائی خوبصورت دیہی ثقافت اور بود،باش کو بہت مفصل پیرائے میں بیان کرتا ہے۔ وسطی پنجاب کی علاقائی اور جغرافیائی تقسیم (ماجھہ، دوآباہ وغیرہ)، زمیںن کی اقسام، وسطی پنجاب کی فصلیں، کاستکاری کے طریقے اور مسائل، موسم اور موسمی مسائل، شادی، بیاہ اور خوشی، غمی کی رسومات، میلے، پنجابی زبان کے مختلف لب،لہجے، روائیتی کھانے اور مشروبات، ملبوسات، ساز، گیت، لوک موسیقی، ذات اور برادریاں، مختلف ذات اور برادری کے لوگوں کی آپس کی دشمن داریاں، مہمان نوازی، ذات برادریوں کی تاریخ، ان کی آپس کی رشتے داریاں استوار کی کرنے کی تاریخ، سیاسی جوڑ،توڑ، ذرائع آمد،رفت، مختلف قصبوں کی تاریخی حیثیت اور طرز تعیمر وغیرہ جیسے تمام موضوعات کو انتہائی تفصیل سے بیان کیا گیا ہے۔ دوران مطالعہ قاری کبھی کبھار بجا طور پر غیرضروری طوالت سے اکتا سکتا ہے۔ معروف نقاد احمد سہیل نے جانگلوس کو پنجاب کی الف لیلی قرار دیا ہے۔

 

ہم نے پچھلے تین دنوں میں اس ضخیم ناول کو جو کئی سال پہلے بچپن میں ایک بار سرسری طور پر پڑھا تھا، دوبارہ لیکن بغور پڑھا ہے۔ چند دن پہلے دو مختلف لیکن ایک ہی مرکز کے گرد گھومتے موضوعات پر اپنے خیالات قلمبند کرنے کی کوشش کی۔ ایک موضوع موجودہ دور میں معلومات اور ذرائع ابلاغ کو بطور ہتھیار استعمال کرنا اور دوسرا موضوع پاکستانی عوام کی ذہن سازی، عمومی رائے، اور نظریات کو تبدیل کرنے سے متعلق تھا۔ دوسرا مضمون کامسیٹس اور علامہ اقبال یونیورسٹی کے امتحانات میں پوچھے گئے سوالات کے پس منظر میں تھا۔ اسی دوران ایک سوال بار بار ذہن میں آ رہا تھا کہ میڈیا کے پاکستانی معاشرے میں جنسیت کے پھیلاؤ میں باقاعدہ کردار کا آغاز کب ہوا تھا۔ ہم محقق، ادیب اور نقاد ہر گز نہیں ہیں۔ اس لیئے کوئی دعوی بھی نہیں کر رہے۔ لیکن ہماری ناقص رائے میں جانگلوس وہ ڈرامہ ہے جو اس کام کا نکتہ آغاز تھا جس کی اٹھان ہم آج کل اپنے ٹیلی ویژن یا موبائل فون کی اسکرین پر دیکھتے ہیں۔

 

اگر آپ یہ ناول پڑھ چکے ہیں تو آپ کو ناول نگار کی جنسیت کو ہر پانچ دس صفحات کے بعد حد سے زیادہ معمول کا عمل بنانے کے بارے میں ضرور آگاہی ہو گی۔ اگر ہم اسے معاشرتی برائی، یا استحصالی، استبدادی طریقہ سمجھ کر نظر انداز بھی کرنا چاہیں تو ناول نگار کی غیر ازدواجی تعلقات کی (جسے ناول کے ایک باب میں 'اسسپینس نائٹ' کے نام سے بیان کیا ہے) کی دانستہ کوشش کو نظر انداز نہیں کر سکتے۔ جس کے لیئے عجیب، غریب قسم کی توجیحات پیش کی گئی ہیں۔ بات بہت سادہ سی ہے۔ جنسیت کا عمل ایک جسمانی، حیاتیاتی ضرورت ہے۔ بگاڑ تب پیدا ہوتا ہے جب اس جسمانی، حیاتیاتی ضرورت سے بڑھا کر نفسیاتی اور ذہنی ضرورت بنا لیا جائے۔

 

ٹیلی ویژن اسکرین کے ذریعے پاکستانی معاشرے میں جنسیت کو جسمانی، حیاتیاتی ضرورت سے بڑھا کر نفسیاتی ضرورت، ذہنی عیاشی اور  ایک ناقابل اعتراض عمل کے طور پر پیش کرنے کا آغاز ۸۰ کی دہائی میں "جانگلوس" کے نشر کرنے سے ہوا۔

 

اگر ہم کہیں غلط ہیں تو تصحیح کرنے کے لیئے آپ کے شکرگزار ہوں گے۔

Keeping secrets while spilling the beans — at the expense of national cohesion

The reported calls and meetings between the former Army chief and journalists while making some towering claims, damning confessions and startling revelations, raise concerns about the underlying motives for such interactions. One question that arises is whether the information shared with journalists is meant to serve a truthful purpose or to manipulate them for certain tactical advantages. The informal nature of these interactions makes them particularly susceptible to shaping narratives and spreading disinformation. The act of using journalists' "inherent lust for information" suggests an understanding of the power dynamics between those in positions of authority and those seeking information (for whatever purposes).

The manipulation of narratives through such interactions is not a new phenomenon, it has been practiced since ever. It is causing serious consequences for democracy and has destroyed public trust in institutions. The cultivation of information, misinformation and disinformation has led to a situation where public discourse is influenced by falsehood, furthering political agendas, division and polarization. The role of journalists in such situations is crucial, as they are expected to report the truth to the public and act as watchdogs on those in power. However, they are also susceptible to manipulation by those seeking to shape narratives or disseminate disinformation.

In this particular case, the individuals in question, Bajwa and Khan, are accused of lying to their teeth to journalists to advance their personal agenda and motives. The acts of lying to journalists, the journalists being de facto spox of politicians and political parties have already damaged the credibility of the journalists in particular and the media in general. The ultimate loss is using media as a tool to communicate with the public for the greater good. This must stop —  this act of madness, at the expense of national cohesion, must stop now before it is too late.

Hassan Saleem Awan

February 14, 2023

Data Breaches — National Security Nightmare

Shoaib Taimur, a data scientist, tweeted from his Twitter handle @shobz on February 10, 2023 at 18:22 hours PST:  "Yikes. 7.5 TB data breached from systems of Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs? One of the leaks is regarding a harassment case. They have shared samples of the data, with the majority being emails". There have been reports of data breaches in Pakistan in the recent past. The data breaches / theft were reported at;

·         The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) — the biggest database of the country with every basic record of every individual, dead or alive, with biometrics

·         The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) — the biggest revenue collection authority of the state

·         The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) — the regulator of financial markets, banks and custodian of the state reserves

·         The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) — the regulator and the registrar of domestic and foreign businesses and enterprises in the country including non-profits. The companies of the Strategic Plans Divisions (SPD) which is responsible for top secret and highly confidential strategic plans also get registered with the SECP

·         Almost all the telecom companies operating in Pakistan

If these reports were true, these breaches or thefts of databases (population, demographic, business, financial, and telecommunications data of Pakistan) can have far-reaching consequences for the country's national security and its people. Below are some specific ways it could be harmful;

Intelligence Gathering: Hostile actors or agencies could use the stolen data to gather intelligence on key individuals, organizations, and infrastructure, potentially compromising the security of the country.

Espionage: Confidential business information, such as trade secrets, intellectual property, and sensitive financial data, could be used by foreign governments to gain an economic advantage over Pakistan.

Cyber Attacks: The stolen data could be used to launch cyber attacks on critical infrastructure, financial institutions, and government agencies, potentially causing widespread disruption and damage. There were rumours of such a cyber-attack when there was a nationwide power outage recently.

Election Interference: Stolen demographic data could be used to manipulate public opinion or interfere in elections, undermining the democratic process and causing political instability.

Financial Fraud: Stolen financial information could be used to commit fraud, such as identity theft or unauthorized access to bank accounts, causing direct financial losses to individuals and potentially destabilizing the country's economy.

For individuals and businesses, the threats include identity theft, impersonation, financial loss, loss of privacy, reputation damage, loss of consumer confidence, regulatory fines, and legal liabilities etc.

 

The recent data breaches in Pakistan pose a direct threat to the national security of the country. The information stored in these databases is highly sensitive and if it falls into the wrong hands, it can be used for malicious purposes that can harm the nation's stability and security. Therefore, it is imperative that the government and relevant organizations take swift action to improve the security measures of these databases and prevent future data breaches. This includes implementing strict security protocols, regularly monitoring systems for potential breaches, and conducting regular risk assessments to identify potential vulnerabilities. Individuals also have a role to play in protecting their personal and financial information by being vigilant and taking necessary precautions such as using strong and unique passwords and monitoring their financial statements for suspicious activities.

References

·         NADRA data leak: The government’s lack of concern over the data leaks is highly concerning | https://tribune.com.pk/story/2331199/nadra-data-leak

 

·         FBR reels under a major ‘cyberattack’ - Data centre compromised, all websites down | https://tribune.com.pk/story/2315712/fbr-reels-under-a-major-cyberattack

 

·         FBR data breach and its consequences | https://dailytimes.com.pk/806935/fbr-data-breach-and-its-consequences/  

 

·         SECP under fire after unprecedented data leak of confidential information | https://thepakistandaily.com/secp-under-fire-after-unprecedented-data-leak-of-confidential-information/

 

·         Zaki Khalid's Thread on Twitter Regarding SECP Data Breach | https://twitter.com/misterzedpk/status/1560797890204901376

 

·         Tension within SECP escalates as it tries to downplay data breach | https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/984987-tension-within-secp-escalates-as-it-tries-to-downplay-data-breach

 

·         Serious breach of cellphone users’ data | https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1005196-serious-breach-of-cellphone-users-data

 

·         Latest Personal Information of Millions of Pakistanis From All Telcos Goes on Sale | https://propakistani.pk/2022/01/17/latest-personal-information-of-millions-of-pakistanis-from-all-telcos-goes-on-sale/

 

·         Massive Breach: Data of Mobile Phone Users in Pakistan Available online for Free | https://www.phoneworld.com.pk/massive-breach-data-of-mobile-phone-users-in-pakistan-available-online-for-free/

 

·         Link to Shoaib Taimur's Tweet | https://twitter.com/shobz/status/1624036024224448512

 

BREAKING THE SHACKLES — NOW OR NEVER

It won’t be an exaggeration if we say that the military is the only true power center in Pakistan that has strong control over politics using judiciary and administration on 'as and when required' basis. It effectively controls media to maintain favourable discourse and to control the information. It successfully runs its enterprises autonomously with 'acquired' privileges. These additional facilitations, perks and privileges help in eliminating the competition in the market. Elimination of the competition in the market leads to military's monopolistic and cartel-like position in certain cases, causing a huge damage to the economy. It uses every possible tool, method and technique to maintain its dominance and control.

To peacefully end military dominance, control, and intervention in politics and power in Pakistan will require a multi-pronged approach that includes constitutional reforms, legal measures, political strategy, and the strengthening of democratic institutions. By doing so, we can build a better democratic and stable political environment that is conducive to human rights, freedoms, and progress. We can learn from Turkey's experience as they did the same for the very same purpose.

The first step would be to revise the constitution to clearly define the role and responsibilities of the military in the political system. The constitution must ensure that the military cannot interfere in the political process and that its personnel are held accountable for any violation(s).

The second step would be to pass laws that prohibit the military from interfering in politics and the administration of the country. These laws should provide clear penalties for military personnel who engage in political activities, and make it easier to prosecute those who violate the law. Additionally, the independence of the judiciary must be ensured, so that it is less susceptible to military influence.

Building a strong political consensus around limiting military dominance will be a critical part. This will require politicians to work together and build coalitions that can push back against military influence. Media must play a more critical role in holding the military accountable, and civil society groups must be empowered to act as watchdogs to ensure that military personnel respect the law and human rights.

It would be important to build and strengthen democratic institutions that can help to counter military dominance. Moreover, it will be important to create centers of democratic power that can serve as counterweights to the military, such as an independent and robust judiciary, an accountable and transparent government bureaucracy, and a vibrant and engaged civil society.

 However, an even bigger question arises here. How all this will be done?

Hassan Saleem Awan

February 09, 2023

Reimaging Pakistan — Nothing but re-capturing Pakistan

The ruling elites in Pakistan enjoy absolute power and control over everything through a combination of political, economic and social means. The strategy is the use of state apparatus such as bureaucracy (civil and military), police and judiciary to keep tight control over law and order and over dissent (if it emerges anywhere). Judicial, legal and constitutional systems are exploited and corruption is used to undermine the law. Economic resources, particularly natural resources, are controlled by the ownership of different enterprises and businesses or by securing favorable trade and investment agreements, licenses and permits in order to accumulate wealth and consolidate economic power.

Along with these institutional means, they also maintain their power through social and cultural means (our feudal, caste and class systems). Media is used to shape, reshape and control opinion and discourse. They have been exploiting religion, traditions and other cultural and social norms to justify their rule and power and to maintain social order. I mean, they have been exploiting every formal and informal mechanism and tool available to them, serving their interest of reinforcing their power, control and dominance and marginalizing the masses.

But after April 2022, people woke to reality. They came to this dark and painful realization of being manipulated since the inception of the country in the name of religion and politics by these ruling elites those are less than 10,000 in total number and if we further narrow them down, they belong to less than 100 families — all correlated, inter-connected and strongly linked together. It is like a spider web over and around them. This realization is so powerful and frustrating, simultaneously, that their entire discourse has changed. Now, they know, the people ruling them and political opponents who apparently oppose their rule, are in cohorts. This has turned the obedient and innocent into dissidents. This dissidence seems powerful and threatening that the ruling elites of Pakistan have come up with a new strategy — reimaging Pakistan. The people are tried to lure again in the name and guise of patriotism. This move seems nothing but a desperate attempt to keep power and control intact.

People remember how the USSR was brought down — first, the holistic takeover of every institution that resulted in the complete takeover of the state and then — the fall, the collapse. But people also remember Turkey, Venezuela and Iran — what a united and selfless struggle for a cause, can do. Only time will decide if the ruling elites of Pakistan succeed again or, this time, if the people will break the shackles of subjugation and slavery.

Hassan Saleem Awan 

Intelligence is a dirty business! When merged with politics — it becomes the dirtiest.

 

A Hypothesis Testing

 

Disclaimer: This is purely for hypothesis testing whether it is right or wrong.

 

A few days ago, our interior minister gave a statement in which he expressed the apprehension that outside agencies may try to kill Imran Khan.

 

Following this statement by the Interior Minister, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan, revealed in a conversation that another deadly attack on him had been planned. This time he added a name to the list of usual suspects. And that name was the name of the co-chairman of Pakistan People's Party, Asif Ali Zardari!

 

Being keenly interested in Pakistan's politics, I see these statements in a particular and certain context. Rana Sanaullah's statement is a foreclosure ploy, a preemptive move. The sole purpose of which is an attempt to divert possible charges in a direction that will push the investigations into a dead end in the event of a successful assassination attempt, God forbid, on Khan. The problems encountered during the investigation in the case of Shaheed Arshad Sharif are clear in front of us. It will be easy for the government to put the blame on others and delay the investigations.

 

But there is another side to this picture. Imran Khan expressing doubt on Asif Zardari right after Rana Sanaullah's statement raises a very important question for us. Can we assume that Khan is being fed wrong, false, inaccurate or incomplete information?

 

According to many newspaper reports, back-channel links were established between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan People's Party in the past. Have the planners and strategists focused on maintaining constant distraction between the supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan People’s Party so that no contact between the two parties can be established in the future? The tension between these two parties should be similar to the one that existed between the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan People's Party in the past.

 

This move may have another purpose. If the planners and strategists are really serious about trying to eliminate / neutralize Khan, they have first diverted the possible charges and allegations to external agencies and then deliberately misinformed Imran Khan to have Asif Zardari included in the list of possible accused. So that the actual planners and strategists are given and paid minimal attention. In the case of Shaheed Arshad Sharif, in my personal opinion, he was double-crossed by his most trusted person. Apparently, this time this game is being played with Imran Khan.

 

But it is also quite possible that Imran Khan's fears and concerns are absolutely correct and genuine. Because the honourable acquittal of the high police officer from the court, involved in the murder of a Pashtun youth cannot be ignored. There have been serious allegations of involvement in extrajudicial and extra-constitutional killings on this police officer. This police officer's relationship with Asif Ali Zardari is not a secret matter.

 

Intelligence is a dirty business! When merged with politics — it becomes the dirtiest.

General Elections (GE) & Reforms — Some Concerns

General Elections (GE), if they are conducted freely and fairly, may indicate only one thing — political stability. And this is a “BIG IF” we all know. Political stability may be the first thing to achieve, however, it isn’t the ultimate thing that Pakistan needs right now. Let’s assume for a moment (no harm in daydreaming and building castles in the air as they cost us nothing) that Imran Khan / PTI wins the elections as being perceived by the majority of the political analysts. What roadmap does Imran Khan / PTI have to sway Pakistan away from the edge of economic collapse? In my humble opinion, there is none. So let’s not get our hopes high.

 

GEs’, whenever they are held, will lead us to a more chaotic political situation as no political party seems to gain a significant majority to form the government, independently. It will be a usual coalition cocktail or چوں چوں کا مربہ as it has always been in the past. So reforms too, seem highly unlikely to take place. In any case, there will be a huge controversy over GE’s results. No political party is going to accept poll results easily.

 

Moreover, I am afraid, upcoming GEs’ will see a new height of political violence if not planned, scheduled, and monitored appropriately with extreme care. By-elections such as the one in Daska were just a trailer.

 

So a coalition government or a hung parliament that will be a چوں چوں کا مربہ won’t be in a position to undertake/initiate reforms. Now, “reforms” is another interesting topic that we should discuss. The word 'reforms' is quite vague and generic and we should clearly understand its meaning when we use it. The questions I ask myself;

 

·         What do we mean when we say reforms?

·         Do we, really, need reforms? Or do we need a reboot? Or a complete re-doing of system over-hauling?

·         If reforms are necessary, where exactly they are needed?

·         This is a million-dollar question! Where to begin with this process of initiating reforms?

 

Now, if we have clearly defined the need, areas to be reformed, and the first step to take ... here are some bigger challenges that we'll have to face.

 

Who is going to initiate this process of reforms? Whomever he/she/it is, it must have absolute control over every organ of the state. Otherwise, resistance from everywhere — I repeat, from everywhere — would be impossible to cope with. This process of initiating reforms can only be executed if you are an authoritarian regime, military dictatorship or you have a 2/3 or 3/4 majority in the parliament. Any other way of execution will result in exactly the same as it ended after the 18th amendment. Rather than causing convenience, the 18th amendment has further polarized our political canvas. So as I stated earlier, there won't be any party with a heavy mandate from the public, and no martial law (even if there is any, the processed will be reserved when it is lifted).

 

The next point to ponder is, who will have the ownership and oversight of the process of reforms. After this, the challenge would be, how to craft reforms. As, apparently, we acutely lack the capacity for the same. Because if we had such ability, brilliance and able minds, we would not have to face this disastrous situation. Tasking old bureaucrats (the biggest credit we give to any of them is وہ رشوت نہیں لیتا but we are OK if that goof is incompetent) would be a futile exercise. Reforms means, the real reforms. Not like changing from "Police Force" to "Police Service" and changing the color of the shirts from grey to green. I don't see anyone who can lead this initiative.

 

Reforms need a longer period of time to be crafted, executed, implemented and tested. 05 years in government is not enough. So it seems like we’ll continue moving in circles and that too, backward. A grand dialogue may help in building some consensus, though, the probability is very low.

 

Let's be realistic and take a keen look around us. In April, 2022 we observed immense frustration and a kind of hatred among the masses against the military's obvious involvement in Khan's ouster. That feeling, the extent of that feeling ... it is gone. This is Imran Khan we should blame who has openly acknowledged that he was in negotiations with فوج and his followers blindly accepted it without raising an objection. What was a taboo before audio/video leaks, is a new acceptable norm.

 

Last — but not least, if PTI wins and gets a 2/3 majority, PTI’s past performance record, its capacity to deliver, infighting for the power, a habit of taking U-turns, lack of vision and team … all these factor, along with some known unknowns, compel me to remain a sceptic.

 

Hassan Saleem Awan

January 18, 2023

PAKISTAN — STABLE IN INSTABILITY

Have we ever wondered, why is it so that whenever Pakistan starts speeding up at the runway to take off for foreseeable sustainability, growth, progress and development — something mysteriously strange happens and we find ourselves, at least, 15/20 years behind that runway. A casual look at 75 years of our history reveals that we have moved in circles and that too, backwards. We were doing fine till late 70’s and early 80’s. Our social, economic, human and all other indices were improving with minor occasional fluctuations.

 

What went wrong, what wrong turn we took in late 70's and early 80's that, it has been a nose-dive since then? Even in early 90's, the whole predicted us to be an 'Asian Tiger'. Then, we had our Motorway Project. If we study the original blueprint, it'd leave us amazed, how gigantic and huge a project it was. Originally it had 06 lanes and after every 100 kilometres, there were different economic, trade, industrial and agri zones planned alongside the Motorway. Then, we had QTTA and CPEC. The game changer — had they been successful as it was planned Let's not forget RCD between Iran, Pakistan and Turkey in 1964 which was replaced by the ECO in 1979 adding Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan). Fast forwarding to 2021, different indices were showing progress again but, we again are back to square one.

 

What is stopping us from achieving sustainability, growth, progress and development? Is it our geography? The habit of acting beyond our weight and size? External (regional and global) factors? Our own collective apathy and lethargy, we have developed over time? Because Pakistan and its people cannot afford to remain stable in instability anymore. This whole ideology that فلاں بچاے گا پاکستان is incorrect. No silver bullet, no messiah, and no hero is coming to rescue us until and unless we, the people of Pakistan, take the initiative of reforms and change … starting with ourselves, first. That is the only way forward. 

 

Hassan Saleem Awan

January 13, 2023

شہید محمد نوید صادق سیال — گمنام سے نام تک کا سفر

 

شہید محمد نوید صادق سیال  —  گمنام سے نام تک کا سفر

 

 جنوری کی چار تاریخ، بروز بدھ، آپ نے یہ خبر سنی ہو گی کہ آئی ایس آئی کے انسداد دہشت گردی کے لیئے ملتان میں تعینات ڈائرکٹر، محمد نوید صادق سیال کو ان کے ایک ساتھی اانسپکٹر ناصر کے ہمراہ خانیوال کے قریب شہید کر دیا گیا۔ میں نوید صادق سیال آپ سے مخاطب ہوں۔

 

گزشتہ پندرہ سالوں سے میں صرف ایک ہی کام کرتا آ رہا تھا۔ ہر روز اپنے بیوی بچوں اور دیگر عزی،اقارب کو گھر چھوڑ کر، کبھی اکیلا اور کبھی اپنے اپنے ادراے کے چند افراد کے ساتھ، اپنے ہدف کے پیچھے نامعلوم، دور دراز اور انجان علاقوں میں نکل جاتا تھا۔ قبائلی علاقہ جات، گلگت کے پہاڑ، کشمیر کے برف زار، تھل اور چولستان کے صحرا، بلوچستان کے سنگلاخ اور خشک چٹانی سلسلے، افغانستان، ایران اور ہندوستان کی سرحدیں، سندھ میں کچے کے علاقے، اندرون کے دیہاتوں میں، اسلام آباد، راولپنڈی، لاہور، کراچی اور کوئٹہ جیسے شہروں کی سڑکوں پر ۔۔۔ غرضیکہ ملک کا کوئی کونہ ایسا نہیں جہاں میں اپنے پیشہ ورانہ فرائض اور ذمہ داریوں کی ادائیگی کے لیئے نہ پہنچا ہوں۔ سر پر کفن باندھے، موت کی آنکھوں میں آنکھیں ڈال کر کئی کئی دن تک انتہائی نامساعد حالات، محدود وسائل کے ساتھ دیگر ناقابل بیان اور ناقابل برداشت سختیاں جھیلتا رہتا۔ میرے ملک اور اس ملک میں رہنے والے ہر فرد کی حفاظت کے لیئے بے غرض اور دیوانہ وار کام کیا۔ دہشت گردی کے ناسور کو جڑ سے ختم کرنے کے لیئے وقت اور مقام کی پرواہ کیئے بغیر ان دیکھے دشمن سے چومکھی لڑائی لڑتا رہا۔

 

میرے پیشے کا سب سے پہلا تقاضا میرا گمنام اور خاموش رہنا تھا۔ سو میں گمنام اور خاموش ہی رہا۔ چونکہ میں گمنام اور خاموش تھا اس لئے اپنے کارنامے میں کسی کو بتا نہ سکا۔ یقین مانیئے، ایسی کبھی کوئی خواہش بھی دل میں پیدا نہیں ہوئی کہ محض اپنے فرائض کی ادائیگی کی تشہیر کی جائے۔ مگر ایسا بھی نہیں ہے کہ میرے ان فرائض کی اپنی بساط سے بڑھ کر ادائیگی کرنے کا کوئی گواہ نہیں ہے، اس کا سب بڑا گواہ اس کائنات کا مالک اور اس کے بعد میرے وہ ساتھی جنھوں نے میرے ساتھ کام کیا ہے۔ مگر وہ بھی خاموش اور گمنام ہی تو ہیں۔ وہ بھی آپ کو کیسے بتا پائیں گے کہ میں نے اپنے ملک اور آپ سب کے لیئے اپنی بساط سے بھی بڑھ کر کیا کچھ کیا ہے؟ خدا بھی اس کام کے لیئے زمین پر تو نہیں آ سکتا۔ رہ گئے میرے بیوی بچے، تو وہ میرے مرنے کے بعد بولنے کے قابل ہی نہیں رہے ہوں گے۔ ان بیچاروں کو کئی روز تک یہی علم نہیں ہوتا تھا کہ میں زندہ بھی ہوں یا نہیں۔

 

اپنے فرائض کی ادائیگی میرا نصب العین تھا۔ کوئی بھی انسان کسی بھی مقصد کی خاطر جو بڑی سے بڑی قربانی دے سکتا ہے، وہ اپنی جان دینا ہے۔ اور آپ سب نے دیکھا کہ میں نے اور میرے ساتھی نے، اس ملک اور آپ سب کے لیئے، اپنی جان دے دی۔ میرا صرف اتنا سا سوال ہے کہ میں نے خود کو اس مٹی پہ قربان کر دیا، آپ نے میری خون میں لت پت تصویروں کو دیکھ کر ان پر کیا ردعمل دیا؟ گمنام ہونے کے ناطے میری اپنی کوئی آواز نہیں تھی۔ اور جن کی آواز تھی، انہی کی آواز کو میری آواز سمجھ لیا گیا۔ مگر وہ میری آواز نہیں تھی۔ میری تو زبان تھی ہی نہیں، پھر کیسے اس آواز کو آپ نے میری آواز مان لیا؟

 

میری خدمات، میری جان کی قربانی کا تمسخر اڑایا گیا۔ وطن اور آپ کی خاطر جان دینے پر، بجائے مجھ سے ہمدردی کے، میرے محکمے کے خلاف کیچڑ اچھالنا شروع کر دیا۔ ماضی کی غلطیوں اور میرے محکمے کے سربراہان سے اپنے اختلافات یا ناپسندیدگی کا اظہار آپ ہم جیسے بے زبان لیکن دیانتدار اور فرض شناس لوگوں کی شہادت کا مزاق اڑا کر کریں گے؟ دلیر، جری، مخلص اور جانباز سپاہیوں کی یوں رسوائی کریں گے؟

 

آپ نے تعلیم یافتہ، باشعور اور فہم،فراست رکھتے ہوئے یہ سب کیا۔ محض اپنی ذاتی پسند، ناپسند یا ادارے کے سربراہان سے شکایات کی وجہ سے؟ میری پندرہ سالہ جد،جہد جس کا میں نے کبھی صلہ نہیں مانگا، آپ اسے تسلیم بھی نہ کیجیئے لیکن میری ایک عظیم مقصد کے لیئے جان دینے کو مذاق کیوں بنا دیا؟ یہ سب مجھے گالی دینے جیسا ہے۔ مجھے، میرے بچوں اور خاندان کو یہ احساس اور تاثر ملا ہے جیسے میں اپنی زندگی رائیگاں ہی گزار گیا۔ اور یہ احساس کسی گالی سے کم نہیں۔

 

 

 

جو ملک کی خاطر جان کی قربانی دیں گے ان کو، ان کے خاندان کو اگر عزت نہیں دے سکتے تو کیا یوں ان کی شہادت کو مذاق بنا دیں گے؟ جو وطن کیلئے جانیں دے رہے ہیں اور  آج بھی دینا چاہتے ہیں، ان کے بچوں کو آپ کیا پیغام دینا چاہتے ہیں؟فیس بک اور ٹویٹر وغیرہ پر میرے یتیم ہو جانے والے بچے، شہید کی اولاد ہونے کے باوجود کیا سوچیں گے؟

 

میں تو نہیں رہا! میں اپنی جان، جس کی حرمت اس کائنات کے خالق نے طے کی ہے، اس ملک پر وار گیا۔ اس سے زیادہ بڑی قربانی میں کیا دے سکتا تھا؟ لیکن خدارا! جو رہ گئے ہیں ان کی قدر کیجیئے، ان کی یوں تذلیل مت کیجئے گا۔ کیونکہ جو قوم اپنے شہدا اور بہادروں کی قدر نہیں کرتی، ان کا انجام آپ کو یاد دلانے کی ضرورت نہیں۔

 

شہید کی جو موت ہے وہ قوم کی حیات ہے

لہو ہے جو شہید کا وہ قوم کی زکواۃ ہے

 

گمنام سے نام تک کا سفر، جو آخرکار تمام ہوا۔

 

شہید محمد نوید صادق سیال

Baptizing Our Failures with Martyrs’ Sacred Blood

Whenever time tried to test us, none of us hesitated even for a moment in risking our life for sake of the country and the countrymen. Following are a few of the examples of selflessness, bravery and gallantry of our people from all walks of life to re-affirm our resolve, defiance and resilience against all odds.

·         Pervaiz Masif (2009), a Christian Pakistani, lost his life while intercepting a suicide bomber who was going to attack the women campus of the IIU, Islamabad where 300 – 400 female students were present

·         Samiya Noreen (2013), a lady teacher, lost her life while rescuing the children from a burning van in Rajeki, Gujrat

·         Nasrullah Shajee (2014), a former lawmaker of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and the party’s sitting deputy chief for Karachi, drowned while trying to save his drowning student in the Kunhar River at Balakot

·         Aitzaz Hassan Bangash (2014), a 15-year-old Braveheart of Hangu, lost his life while intercepting a suicide bomber at the gate of his school where more than 200 children were present 

·         Tahira Qazi (2014), the Principal of the Army Public School, Peshawar, lost her life in a desperate attempt to save as much children as she could

·         Akash Bashir (2015), a Christian Pakistani, lost his life while intercepting a suicide bomber at the gate of a Church in Youhanabad, Lahore

·         Saim (2018), a 12 years old kid who used to work in a tuck shop with his father in Muzaffarabad. When he saw dozens of students enjoying passionately on an old and weak wooden bridge over the river, he ran to warn them to not exceed the limit.  The touring students fell down in the river when the bridge broke. Saim too, lost his life in an attempt to rescuer 12 drowning students

·         Iftikhar Wahid (2020), a security guard from Dir, intercepted terrorists at the main entrance of Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi. He could have saved his life but he was courage enough to hold them at the gate before they could cause serious damage

·         Suleman Khan (2020), a young resident of Kuchlak (Balochistan), made more than 50 trips during extremely challenging weather calamity and rescued over 100 people stranded and trapped in a snowstorm

·         Muhammad Faisal (2022), a driver, drove away a burning oil tanker on Quetta's Qambrani Road to save hundreds of lives

·         Atta Ullah Luni (2022), rescued 05 people from flash floods in Balochistan’s Loralai district

The same selflessness, bravery, gallantry and courage have been even more exemplary among the officers, soldiers and personnel of Security and Law Enforcement Agencies, be it Army, Intelligence, Rangers, FC, Police, Fire Brigade, Rescue 1122 or other emergency rescue and response contingents. The nation will always be greatly indebted to every single one of them for their sacrifice for sake of the country and the countrymen. To embrace death is the ultimate and the greatest of all sacrifices – anyone can ever make.  The destiny and the future of nations depends upon the collective sacrifices of its individuals. However, it should be a point of grave concern for the state, undoubtedly, if its people keep making the greatest but avoidable sacrifice – that too, without any cause.

Let’s recall a few jailbreaks by militants excluding other terror attacks like the ones on Manawan Police Centre, GHQ, Mehran Base, Prade Lane Mosque, dozens of attacks on posts and convoys of military, police and FC and attacks on public places etc.

·         July, 2003 – 03 civil judges and 05 prisoners were killed and 02 judges critically wounded inside the Sialkot district jail when police raided the prison to free 10 judges taken hostage by the prisoners

·         April, 2012 – more than 200 heavily armed TTP militants travelling in several vehicles attacked the Central Jail in Bannu, releasing more than 400 prisoners, including some high profile / hardcore TTP terrorists, in a pre-dawn assault. Among them, was a former Pakistan Air Force technician, Adnan Rashid, convicted of an assassination attempt on former president Pervez Musharraf

·         July, 2013 – Dozens of heavily-armed TTP insurgents freed nearly 175 inmates, including 35 ‘high-profile militants’, during a brazen overnight attack on the central jail in Dera Ismail Khan

·         December, 2022 – detained TTP militants inside a CTD facility, situated in Bannu Cantonment, took over its compound, held interrogators hostage and demanded safe evacuation to Afghanistan. A rescue mission was launched to free the hostages and neutralize the terrorists. There are contradictory reports about the number of casualties. However, the whole building has been razed to the grounds, all 33 terrorists have been killed and 03 of our SSGs embraced martyrdom during the operation

(Several technicalities and professional aspects of planning and execution of this operation can be questioned, however, doing so would deviate us from the essence of this write-up)

Jailbreaks and hostage situations, in general, are the result of absolute intelligence and security failures. The saga of jailbreaks in Pakistan after 2002 isn’t just intelligence and security failures (though, we prefer to sugar-coat and tone down this word as ‘security lapse’) – it is the proof of incapability of learning from own mistakes in past, laxity and inefficiency of our intelligence, security and law enforcement agencies. It also raises genuine concerns about their training and professional proficiencies.  

It leaves me in pain and agony to note our heartless, brutal and insensitive attitude of covering our blunders and failures under the sacred and noble status of martyrdom. No voice is raised for professional, scientific and technical analysis of such failures (or security lapses if this word keeps you calm) that can compel the competent authorities to find and fix the causes of these failures to avoid them in future. We keep beating the drums of bravery, courage and gallantry of our martyrs so loudly that such voices, if raised from anywhere, are drowned in the noise. We keep beating the drums of unnecessary and exaggerated glorification of our martyrs until a new tragedy results in some new martyrs. It would be a terrible joke if anyone claims that self-analysis and self-accountability is done. Because, if it was so, these tragedies would not have happened again and again.

In case of any security and intelligence failure – or lapse – whenever and wherever in the world, those identified as responsible are held accountable. Faults, grey areas, loopholes and weakness are fixed and the security of the citizens is ensured to a foolproof level. Is the blood of our sons, daughters and children so cheap that it can be spilled anywhere, anytime for no reason? Will we never learn from past mistakes to correct ourselves and will continue repeating those mistakes over and over again? Why is it so difficult to avoid an easily avoidable?

Do whatever you want! But, for God's sake, let’s not disrespect the martyrs so much that we begin to baptize our absolute failure, sheer incompetence and obvious negligence with their sacred blood.

Hassan Saleem Awan

December 22, 2022

FIGHTING THE STATE AND THE ‘STATE WITHIN THE STATE’ — UNDER FALSE PRETENSE

You cannot fight even the ‘state within the state’ – fighting the state is a far cry. The consequences are not hard to predict when the state and the ‘state within the state’ turn against you, simultaneously. The state has countless tactics to imperceptibly consume and waste your time, resources, energy, and might. You don't even feel bleeding out till it's all over and you are completely drained off. The most dangerous of these tactics is to keep you focused on non-issues — means, to keep you focused on deliberately created distractions.

Our national political canvas portrays three major developments against the only real opposition party – the PTI. First, Punjab Front has been re-opened after Imran Khan’s decision to dissolve provincial assemblies in Punjab and KP. Second, there is a sudden surge in terror activities in KP that is leading people to question the writ and controls of KP government which is, PTI Government. Third, the PTM has accelerated in activities in KP.

One can question Imran Khan’s motives but the fact remains that he has been demonstrating ‘controlled’ political resistance, resilience and defiance — whether this resistance, is for getting back into power, or it is genuinely for the people, or it is the result of his usual stubbornness and political miscalculations … only time will be the judge. However, we know that, in the past, he took the path that every politician has/had been taking i-e shaking hands with and becoming another puppet of the establishment. In 2018, he zeroed his whole 22 years long political struggle for nothing but only to climb to power ladder. This was his first political blunder. Rest is the history now. 

Imran Khan is the only politician in the history of Pakistan that had that one chance, after his ouster from power, to tackle the bull (non-political forces those are actively involved in politics) by the horn. But, apparently, he didn't just miss it, he has messed it up quite badly. Now the bull is more than ever powerful and unstoppable. He was willing to negotiate a deal with the PPP in a bid to secure his government like he cut a deal, earlier, with PAM, MQM, BAP and PMLQ. But he is not willing to negotiate, for the greater good of the country and the people, with any of his political rivals to define and curtail political interference and roles of non-political forces.

“Elections are won by men and women chiefly because most people vote against somebody rather than for somebody.” The words of Franklin P. Adams best describe PTI’s win in by-elections. However, Imran Khan could not influence for any of the following issues after his ouster from the power, though, he applied all available tools such as conducting massive rallies in different cities, two long marches and now the announcement of dissolving two provincial assemblies where his own party is in power.

01: Fixation of election date

02: Resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner

03: NAB Amendments

04: Right of vote to overseas Pakistan

05: Appointment of the COAS

Political analysts are unable to decode Khan's move of ending his own governments in two provinces. They read it as Imran Khan is giving his political opponents ample time for out-maneuvering his plan of proposed dissolution of provincial assemblies. It would have been more appropriate if Imran Khan along with his political allies had used this limited time to provide services and maximum relief to the people before the General Elections.

It is also incomprehensible that Imran Khan has accused the Election Commission and the Chief Election Commissioner of bias many times. Will Imran Khan accept the election results when elections will be conducted by the same Election Commission under the management and administration of the same, allegedly biased, Chief Election Commissioner? If, in the eyes of Imran Khan, the elections are rigged and the polling results are dubious, what will be the course of action? Will the country continue to suffer from the same political uncertainty? It has also been established that there is an obvious split within the party over the proposal to dissolve the provincial assemblies, which was also observed at the time of the proposal of resignations from the National Assembly. Along with the division within the party, PTI allies are also in confusion. The main reason is Imran Khan's delay in decision-making and lack of any solid political strategy and planning.

"There is a strange tragedy in Imran's political life. Whatever he had done, he later regretted it. The advisors he got, gave wrong advice and cheated". That is how an analyst summarized Imran Khan’s political life, ignoring one hardcore fact that, luck has always been favoring him so far. His more than necessary complacency and has already cast him dearly and yet, he keeps on looking towards the very same forces those booted and drummed him out of the government. 

Imran Khan pretends, under false pretense, that he is fighting the state and the ‘state within the state’. But in reality, he is playing his opponents’ game at their preferred grounds. 

Hassan Saleem Awan

December 19, 2022

December 16th,1971 & 2014 – No Lesson Learnt

It seems, understandably, fair for any sensitive person to experience an excruciating pain, agony, melancholy and an intense emotional charge as one of the darkest and scariest dates approaches on the calendar. As a nation, we reaped what we sowed.

Continuous deprivation, exploitation, discrimination and unfair distribution of resources were the factors those led to the Fall of Dhaka. While the heart wrenching tragedy of 2014, APS Children Massacre, is an absolute failure of state institutions, responsible for our security, just like 9/11 was in the US. If we dig deep to apprehend the causes of APS Children Massacre, it again leads us to the most absurd, directionless and aimless policies of the state.

Imagine our extreme of misfortune and ruthlessness that instead of learning some lessons from these tragedies to determine our destination correctly, we have started politics on these two. The full details of the investigations into these worst tragedies have not come out till date and, perhaps, never will because certain various elements continue to use these two horrific incidents, as needed, to fulfill their own narrative and sinister agenda.

No matter how much we sugarcoat it, present logics, arguments and justifications, the reality will not change. This is how the world perceives us – it was our collective failure as a nation and it was the failure of the state when it couldn’t protect its own citizens.

Failure is an orphan, they say, so the politicians blame the army and the army blame the politicians. The world laughs at us, sarcastically, as in the eyes of the world, army or the politicians, both were Pakistani. In 1971 we were not only defeated, we were torn apart, geographically but we tried successfully to remain composed. In 2014 we were torn apart, psychologically – so bad that we felt our hearts bleeding and nerves cracking. In 1971, apparently, insurgency was limited to two parts of the country (Balochistan and East Pakistan). Today, this menace has spread to Sindh, Balochistan, KP, South Punjab and Azad Kashmir. In 2014, insurgents were there in KP with all their terror and brutality, their presence there is proven even today. They are now everywhere. History doesn’t just repeat itself. It repeats itself very quickly for those who do not learn from it.

The price of wrong policies of state and failure of state institutions, is the spilling of blood and the merciless slaughter of common citizens, anywhere and at any time, which is glorified by those in power and authority so that we consider this glorification as something sacred and think of it as an honor for ourselves. And we exactly act like that, instead of exploring the causes and reasons of such horrific incidents and possible preventive measures.

Holding a few events in which deliver same old repeated speeches in a monotonous tone with obviously made-up serious face, do we think that we have done justice to the aggrieved and history? Let's just assume for a few moments that it was our own children at the APS, not anyone else's and these were not Bengalis but people of our own family. Would our reaction, then, have been the same as we do today? The grievances of the Bengalis against the state were more or less similar to those of the Pashtuns, Balochs, Muhajirs, Sindhis, Kashmiris and even the Punjabis of Southern Punjabies.

Now, decide for yourself whether we should continue to commemorate and glorify such tragedies which are increasing in number and to whom we are becoming increasingly immune to as well, or take some serious steps to prevent such tragedies from happening. Whatever has to be done, it has to be done very quickly because we are running short of time, already.

Hassan Saleem Awan

December 16, 2022