War on Terror(part3):Radio Shariah and MTV Pakistan In 1990s FM radios proclaiming shariah laws in vast areas of north western province andTribal border regions of Afghanistan became the law of the land. Moving the clock forward another decade , year 2001 same Taliban and their Saudi Arabian financer/mastermind sheikh Usama Bin Laden(UBL) –who had since turned against his mentors- opposed American foreign interference in Saudi Arabia after first gulf war ( the suffering of Palestine and threat of globalisation in religious and political conflicts of muslim countries)
Taliban and Bin laden converted Afghanistan Radio shariah and Jehadi CDs and DVD into global Islamist propaganda tool targeting the naïve 2nd generation Asians of racism hit Netherlands, Germany ,Denmark and UK. UBL got a larger willing and almost captive audience in disenfranchised Arab youth of poverty stricken back streets in Saudi Arabia, Yemen Libya, Syria and Jordan all tribal despotic Muslim statesThese conflicts and resulting political instability gave rise to political terrorism and al-Qaeda became a global terrorist outfit of loosely connected and controlled splinter cells.
one of these cells committed the biggest terrorist attacks on American soil in form of 9/11 aeroplanes exploding into world trade center New York and Pentagon. USA like a wounded tiger and hungry predator unleashed its full ferocity on Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world.Pakistan still struggling with millions of refugees from first afghan war became a staging ground for second jehad against the jehadists themselves, also known as War on Terror.
This time the new military dictator parvez musharraf with American bestseller biography “In the Line of Fire”, unlike extremist Zia ul Haq, is a secularist Neo liberal whose early life was spent in Turkey and who professes his admiration for “militant Secularism” governance by constitutional Army of Turkish Republic.The fight against jehadis became point of convergence for American neo conservatives and Pakistan military junta headed by musharraf –after the betrayal of Taliban regime by Pakistani military intelligence dumping the notion of pan Islamic “strategic depth” partnership with ex jehadis- dollar started flowing for Pakistani military bureaucracy.
In addition to doctrine of “pre-emptive strike” another social engineering term “enlightened moderation” was coined to change the fabric of Pakistan society once again. Halliburton and Texan oil dollars lined the deep pockets of Pakistani generals and turn coat neo-liberal intellectuals.Pakistani expatriate returning to the safety of Pakistan due to witch-hunts against muslim community in America after 9/11,brought much needed foreign exchange for middle class consumerism boom.
Investment in real estate , western style supermarket and shopping malls increased thousands of percent, stocks and shares of a sleepy Karachi stock exchange market sky rocketed, private media channels with liberal song and dance sequences opened their doors , Young urban professionals dancing their hearts out at five star devils dens (according to the pious orthodox clan) near the former red light district of Lahore and karachi.
Pakistani elite and army generals got generous grants from USA for their (Un)Holy Services, dedicated Voice of America TV shows in urdu language propaganda for Pakistani masses , freedom(sugar coated as Your World) radio broadcasts for muslim lower middle and working class masses in Iraq ,Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.
Winning the “Hearts and Minds” of Pakistani university professors and students with generous study trips to USA for American Culture and History. Fulbright scholarships to students who are not half as bright academically.Technology savvy guys from Silicon Valley California opened outsourcing and software technology companies. Pakistan call centres calling the touchstones of American mortgage and cellular phone markets.
IMF, World Bank and American Corporations Investing in Pakistan financial sector to provide consumer retail credit and loans, credit cards and car finances exploded in market capitalisation. Indian professionals mixing freely with Pakistani counterparts in cross border tourism(not terrorism) which upto now was a Taboo.American Accent, McDonald’s and KFC , American Visa lottery Green Card and High skilled Software Engineer Jobs in silicon valley are the new status symbols.
The metropolis cities in Pakistan Karachi Lahore and Islamabad are fast becoming clones of American philosophy of “white Gold Burger”, sex before marriage and gay relationships in soap operas of TV entertainment are becoming acceptable in upper echelons of society. Economic and residential apartheid with gated communities of bahria and marina towns, American school system coupled with newest franchise of MTV Pakistan.
As one intellectual put it, probably very accurately, “Islamabad is a city thirteen miles away from Pakistan”.The gulf between the lower, middle, working classes and the upper class has increased enormously. Globalisation, anarchy, terrorism, extremism and enforced capitalism have hit Pakistan very hard. The social fabric of the traditional joint family structure which acted as social security safety net for poor is crumbing.
The divide between rich and poor is giving rise to conditions similar to latin American neo liberal economic policies of recession and currency inflations. Pakistan is fast transforming into an African failed state currently ranked 3rd most dangerous country .street crime and religious persecution by red mosque gang. Rape and killing of women and religious minorities are daily news and common place, which don’t raise any eyebrows any more.Mobile phone snatching ,ransom and hostage taking, target killing mafias and gangs are the hallmark of Pakistani youth culture Happy Birthday Mullah Diesel and MTV Pakistan with love from Radio Shariah
Part1:Holy United Kingdoms of Heaven Vs. Godless Evil EmpireWe pick the story of Pakistan in 1979 under a brutal military dictatorship, like previous military dictatorship in 1958 and 1969 this one also had the full backing and patronage of American Republican and British Tory administration.
But the similarity ends there, in 1958 the liberal dictator Ayub Khan was a American yes man who went onto to write his biography aptly titled “Friends, not masters” its entirely upto historians to change the place of comma in the title to convey the right meaning.In 1969 the perpetually DRUNK Army Dictator Yahya Khan gained the notoriety as the “Butcher of Bengal” with Pakistani Army killing and raping the population of East Pakistan as a punishment for demanding independence for Bangladesh.
In 1979 it was the brutal execution of an elected prime minister and draconian islamisation of country by army dictator Zia ul Haq( after 6 years under populist Islamic socialist prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto), All under the watchful eye of United states of America, maggie Thatcher and American imperial viceroy the ambassador in Pakistan who decides the fate of commoners and government functionaries in fight against communism.
Latter day Terrorists Gulbadin Hikmatyar and Usama Bin Laden were the guests of Honour in Washington and London State Dinners hosted by Reagen and Thatcher, treated like rock star celebrities by American and British Embassies in Pakistan.
Zia Ul Haq the islamist dictator started islamisation of democratic institution of the country. Lynching , cutting of hands, rape law penalising only women victims Became part of Islamic shariat law introduced by dictatorial brand of Saudi Arabian waahabi jurisprudence injected into Pakistan’s body politic. Restriction on freedom of speech, cinema and TV became the norm, all political activity was banned while religious clerics were encouraged in all spheres of life.
Interpreting civil & criminal law ,lifestyle and choice of religion and marriage according to their own puritanical mindset.Parts of Pakistan became narcotics factories to supply chain the drug trade from golden crescent pakistan to europe supervised by military intelligence in order to finance crusader jihadis against communist Soviet Evil Empire.
Part2: God Bless America and Proud to be PakistaniRussian Invasion of Afghanistan enabled military to recruit willing partners(the religious party cadre) for religious war against Godless soviet empire, all with the help from Reagan Administration. Arab youth armed with wahabi ideology and latest American arsenal flocked to Pakistan ,under the banner of office for jehad and service for martyrs’ families osama bin laden started recruiting second generation asian and arab immigrants from the streets of Dearborn Michigan ,new jersey, new York and Birmingham Luton and east end of London under full knowledge and logistical support of CIA and MI6.
Social and cultural conservatism and authoritarian lifestyle suited both the religious clerics as well as American and British conservatives, but it changed the social fabric of Pakistani society beyond recognition.A decade later war in Afghanistan ended soviets disintegrated and Islamist dictator zia ul haq exploded in a suspected bomb in his presidential plane Arnold Raphel was the 18th
U.S. ambassador in
Pakistan. He died in air crash near Bhawalpur with then Pakistani President
Zia ul-Haq and Brigadier General Herbert M. Wassom, chief of the U.S. military group in Pakistan. on
August 17,
1988 , leaving behind their inheritance in form of religious extremists and arab jehadist freedom fighters acclimatised to the tribal lifestyle of north west border regions of Afghanistan.These mujahideen -the freedom fighters for Amerian republican Ronald Reagan and Tory Margaret Thatcher-transformed into Taliban to fill in the power vacuum and give stability to a lawless failed state. But they started banning TV, burning schools, assassinating women doctors.some ex mujahideen became war lords trading narcotics opium and heroin, raping women and children getting covert support from Russia, India, Iran and even Pakistan.
(Go to Part3)
Tribute to a more tolerant Pakistan and PIA.(circa. 1960s)
