[Reader-list] Dalrymple on Pakistan's "New Deal"

[inder salim]

On Tue, Apr 29, 2008 at 10:37 PM, inder salim <indersalim at gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear Naeem
>
>  I believe, average Indians are quite interested in Pakistan. They
>  regretted Benezir's untimely death. About Kashmir their stand is well
>  known. The same must be true in Pakistan, for example when Rajiv
>  Gandhi was killed, and their stand on kashmir too is well known.
>
>  We are on the LIST to hear what main stream is not interested to
>  debate.  I cherish a lot what is happening on the lilst, in fact, the
>  choice is so huge that i had to skip some uninteresting subjects. But
>  some of those which i read  even, go unreflected, but dont 'sink' as
>  you fear.
>
>  The same is true about the average  millions of Indians and Pakistanis
>  whose reflections go unnoticed, because their respective opinions dont
>  match the agendas of their ruling classes. And if they match it is
>  because  there politicians also work like Jotshis ( hindu ) astrologer
>  who convince the people about ghosts, stars and coloured stones....
>  One can only laugh.....
>
>  Naturally, we suffer. I believe, India is more Right winged than
>  Pakistan is, even before this latest change of guard.  An unhealthy
>  Pakistan is because a Militiray rule suits  Anglo-America forces in
>  this region. A peaceful region is not good for their own peace. So
>  unnatural differences are higlighted time and again to keep us hinged
>  to hate. I quote a friend in Kashmir. " America will issue an
>  ordinance to Muslims that it is mandatory to pray six times a day,
>  instead of five"
>
>  Genetically, there is very little variation between Indians,
>  Pakistanis or Bangladeshis. Cuturally too we are intimately linked.
>  The administrative chaos is almost similar. I have not been to
>  Bangladesh but i dont miss it.   It is just around. In fact, I dont
>  know much about the things which surrounded me since childhood, let
>  alone Delhi where i migrated some 15 years back. I hardly know
>  anything about the political reprentatives of my area in east Delhi. I
>  dont vote even. I dont think they are serious about what they say on
>  the stage. And yet we have a functional democracry, and poople vote
>  happily. But what they get in the end, we all know.
>
>  Now people in Pakistan have also voted , good news, good also because
>  secular forces are in power. I doubt this form of secularism beyond a
>  point. Congress party  here always proved my doubts.  We know how the
>  Hindu upper caste controleld the power game in Congress.
>
>  Again, i feel dynasty rule as worse as fundamentalism. I feel
>  milirary rule as worse as Corporates manipulating every nerve of our
>  cities. An average man is struggling for a simple life which is
>  elusive. Sad.
>
>  We are not different.
>  And if there is anything interesting about this sub-continent, it is
>  culture, a hope for newness, which needs to be taken seriously.
>
>  We need to take environment, culture and love.... seriously. I dont
>  think the present dull form of politics is helping us to achieve our
>  goals. Something within must happen.
>
>  May be you dont agree.... but..
>
>  with love
>  inder salim
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>  On Tue, Apr 29, 2008 at 3:30 PM, Naeem Mohaiemen
>  <naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com> wrote:
>  > I post below yet another article that will sink without a trace in
>  >  Reader List, because:
>  >  1. It doesn't involve India...
>  >  2. It involves Pakistan, but isn't negative...
>  >
>  >  For the 0.2% that are interested, here is Dalrymple's latest...
>  >
>  >  A New Deal in Pakistan
>  >  By William Dalrymple
>  >  What happened in Khairpur was a small revolution—a middle-class
>  >  victory over the forces of reactionary feudal landlordism. More
>  >  astonishingly, it was a revolution that was reproduced across the
>  >  country. To widespread surprise, the elections in Pakistan were free
>  >  and fair; and Pakistanis voted heavily in favor of liberal centrist
>  >  parties opposed to both the mullahs and the army. Here, in a country
>  >  normally held up in the more Islamophobic right-wing press of Western
>  >  countries as the epitome of "what went wrong" in the Islamic world, a
>  >  popular election resulted in an unequivocal vote for moderate, secular
>  >  democracy.
>  >
>  >  http://www.nybooks.com/articles/21194
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>
>  --
>
>