Lessons taught by the Taliban

Besides suicide-bombing-made-easy, there are actually a lot of lessons Pakistani society needs to learn from the ongoing insurgency of the Taliban. The whole Taliban debacle has certainly opened up Pakistani society just a wee bit. People have now started talking on issues which were previously considered taboo. People now do tend to analyze religious clerics and what they stand for. The Pakistani society did stand up for the murdered Christians of Gojra and showed their rejection to the politics of hate. But we still have far to go before we can claim Pakistan as a religiously tolerant society and following lessons should be learned:

Why do we have such fiery religious clerics?

All Muslims say that Islam is a religion of peace yet we continue to see the system producing successive militant clerics. These clerics blame all our troubles to be caused either by America or Israel or India, yet they never bother to address issues which are all around them and can be solved just by taking a small initiative. Our society should look into the system which is producing such hatred. There is now a strong need that we start looking at our religion from a fresh perspective.

Can there be a moderate Taliban?

Can there be such a thing as a moderate Taliban? I certainly don't think so. Taliban follow a very rigid religious philosophy according to which they have right to eradicate social evils by taking matters into their own hand. They consider it their rightful duty to prevent girls being sent out to schools, shaving of beards, etc. Those who advocate talking to ‘moderate' Taliban should know that these moderate Taliban will always make life miserable for the people by enforcing their own brand of Islam. If moderate Taliban are let loose, we will continue to see baton-charging-burqa-brigades and morally-right-mullahs.

Education for the people

It seems that the Taliban were following a very well thought out strategy by blowing up schools in Swat and other adjacent areas. Around 100 schools, mostly girls' schools, have been blown up. This strategy shows that the Taliban wanted to keep the masses, especially women, illiterate. By keeping the poor illiterate and by allowing no commercial activity, the Taliban wanted to induct more and more deprived people to their ‘noble' cause.

Justice to the poor

Pakistanis took really serious note of the Taliban issue when government announced enforcement of Sharia Bill in Swat. The Sharia Bill called for speedy justice handed down by the Qazis (religious judges). The Taliban, through this Bill, wanted to get hold of civil administration in Swat by exploiting the corruption and inability of the conventional courts. They had very wisely realized that their movement will get strong support if they start dispensing justice quickly.

As Pakistanis, it is very important for us to take serious note of these lessons as taught to us by Taliban so that we may never again face such an insurgency.

Pakistan: “Schools out” for legislators

ISLAMABAD, Aug 5: The federal cabinet decided on Wednesday to do away with the condition of bachelor’s degree for candidates for the Senate and the national and provincial assemblies, in line with the Supreme Court judgment of April 21 last year. Briefing reporters after a cabinet meeting, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said Pakistan was the only country to have such a condition in a democratic dispensation. (Dawn news)

Now why do legislators need education in Pakistan, as it is certainly an exercise of futility for them and when this exercise spans atleast 14 years, it would certainly seems like a life imprisonment for them. Why would they need education when they can surely confirm parliament seats for their next generations by having this law done away? Do they need to be taught manners which education teaches us? They certainly don’t need it. Why would they need education when their entire world revolves around their huge mansion, their shiny SUV’s and their endless police escorts? Why would their children need education when they are surely to follow in their fathers’ footsteps? What good does education brings when they only have to nod at their party bosses? What good would it do to a legislator by reading this article? We ordinary Pakistanis need ask this first from ourselves and then from our esteemed legislators.

What a great rationale has been given by our Information Minister that as the whole world doesn’t have that condition, therefore Pakistan should follow suit. Do I need to remind the honorable minister that our literacy rate is one of the poorest in the world and by throwing away this a law he is spelling doom for our country? Would he even care about that?

If the same rationale is followed then why do we need education afterall? Why do we need to throw away 20 odd years of life after this exercise in futility? If I can become a legislator without having one why can’t I become a doctor or a lawyer without it?

Maybe we need more of such legislators who first hailed the enforcement of Sharia in Swat and within one week turned around and applauded the army operation. Maybe we need more of same kind who termed killing and burial of women in Balochistan as their ‘custom’. Maybe it would do good for all of us if we just let Taliban blowup all the schools allover Pakistan?

Maybe I should immediately take my child off his school and enlist him in a political party as he certainly don’t need the bloody education and I certainly don’t have the spare money to go through his laborious exercise in futility which in the end would do him no good.