Mid East Daily

Ms. Benazir Bhutto, in a recent article once again reiterated that only democracy could break Pakistan’s link to terror. In her article, Mrs. Bhutto seemed to be finally disillusioned with the U.S. to a great extent. While criticizing military rule and dictatorship in order to glorify democracy she intelligently avoided the long-standing failure of democracy in Pakistan.



Pakistan, a failed state



Further, in her article, she came heavy on the military rule of the present and past and explained nitty-gritty of this nature of rule and terrorism. She criticized military government incessantly for the impoverished state of affairs in Pakistan without mentioning the failure of democracy. As a matter of fact, Pakistan is, tacitly, a failed state irrespective of different nature of rule, the only difference is it is not pronounced yet.



Hardliners



She writes that the military rule is largely unable to curb down the hardliners in Pakistan. At one point of time she was correct that since all the resources were turned from public welfare and nation’s economy to feed its army and its intelligence. Moreover, this is precisely what responsible for the rise of politically strong madarsa system in Pakistan whose influence is seemingly next to impossible to curb down by any form of government.



She cleverly skips the period of her own rule when she was all around fighting to come up at terms of hardliners. During her reign, due to the influence of these hardliners, she failed to take any radical decision for the welfare of people. Further, at times she tried to maintain co-ordial relationship with hardliners since it is political compulsion in Pakistan. As a better fact, she remained under the constant domination and influence of hardliners and notorious madarsa model.



Military and ISI



Pakistan’s political system has always been under tremendous influence of the Army and ISI and even her government was not been spared. She in her usual rhetoric criticized military rule to reel under the influence of ISI, Military and other intelligence agencies. However, it needless mentioning that even democratic government and her government in Pakistan itself was never out of clutches of these agencies nor there was any attempt to curb down these elements.



Ungovernable North-West Frontier and Waziristan



She has stated that the present military government has declared western frontier as a region, ungovernable and she branded it ‘nonsense’. However, the fact is the North-west frontier and Waziristan was never been ruled directly by any government be it military or democratic right since the inception of Pakistan. She has insisted that her government enforced the writ of state, which the entire world knows that it is just eyewash.



Since, it was already reported that Osama Bin Laden has funded the conspiracy to through her out, his name wins a mention in her article.



U.S., terrorism breeder



Disillusioned with U.S. rhetoric of establishing democracy worldwide that excludes Pakistan, occasional and frail mention from U.S., she seemed to be troubled a bit. She has bluntly accused US for being responsible for creating Pakistan a breeding ground of terrorism as it is only U.S. responsible for training and aid to the group of mujahideen through Pakistani intelligence and military.



She openly criticized U.S. and Gen. Zia-ul-Haq nexus for making a peaceful nation into a violent society of Kalashnikovs, heroin addiction and a radicalized interpretation of Islam.



She was very correct while mentioning that US had funded and help the rising of Mujahidin and Taliban in the wake of Russian presence in Afghanistan. It seems that she has become too frustrated since US has lost its rhetoric of establishing democracy in Pakistan for the fact of war against terror exactly as it did in case of Gen Zia-ul-Haq. It is irksome for her, quite understandable.



It would be worth mentioning that it was a good write up, but let us hope when she writes next; she should be looking at the functioning of democracy in Pakistan as well.



Link to the article by Ms. Benazir Bhutto