[Marxism] The tragedy of Pakistan

[Ruthless Critic of All that Exists]

On Dec 29, 2007 10:57 AM, Marla Vijaya kumar <marlavk at yahoo.com> wrote:

>  Forget democracy - the very  existance of Pakistan as a nation is at stake. It is a failed state.  The democratic and civil institutions are as good as dead. The real  power in Pakistan is in the hands of Mullahs and Taliban, actively  encouraged by ISI and elements in the Pakistani Army.
>   A deeply divided and unstable Pakistan makes life difficult for its  neighbouring countries, India, Afghanistan and Iran. ISI sponsored  terrorist bombings have increased in India. Benazir's death shows how  shallow the public life in Pakistan is. The real perpetrators of the  ghastly crime might never be known. Also the  people of Pakistan  seem to be unprepared to put up a fight to the finish for real and  meaningful democracy.
>   Vijaya Kumar Marla


"Pakistan is not a 'failed state' in the sense of the Congo or Rwanda.
It is a dysfunctional state and has been in this situation for almost
four decades. Sometimes the situation is better and sometimes worse.
At the heart of this dysfunctionality is the country's domination by
the Army and each successive period of military rule has made things
worse. It is this that has prevented political stability and the
emergence of stable institutions. Here the United States bears direct
responsibility since it has always regarded the military as the only
institution in the country it can do business with and this is still
the case. This is the rock that has diverted admittedly choppy waters
into a headlong torrent. Economically the country is lop-sided with a
corrupt and ultra-rich elite, but surely this is perfect for the
Washington Consensus. And the World Bank has been full of praise for
the economic policies of Musharraf.

"The latest crisis is a direct result of the NATO occupation and war
in Afghanistan which has destabilised Pakistan's North-West frontier
and created a crisis of conscience inside the Army. There is much
unhappiness at being paid to kill fellow Muslims in the tribal areas
that border both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The arrogant behaviour of
NATO soldiers has hardly helped matters in either country. Sending US
troops to train the Pakistan military in counter-insurgency is likely
to inflame passions further. Afghanistan can only be stabilised via a
regional agreement involving India, Russia, Iran and Pakistan, coupled
with the total withdrawal of all NATO troops. It is US attempts to
avoid this that enhance the crisis in both countries."

        --- Tariq Ali, <http://www.counterpunch.org/tariq12312007.html>