Sunday, August 14, 2022
Pakistan at 75: A Long History of Anti-Americanism
Pakistan is sometimes informally addressed as “paranoidistan.” Conspiracies spread widely, especially when they are populist. Lately, Pakistan’s ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan, a popular leader indeed, has been successful in regaining his lost support by invoking anti-Americanism. He is adamant that the United States has interfered in the domestic politics of Pakistan. He publicly calls the current government an imported one. Khan insists that he has been removed from office by a U.S. regime-change operation, and alleges that the military, which is a power broker in the country, was following the directions of the United States. While Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), itself came into power after the 2018 elections with the support of the military, he has been able to create a paranoia, especially among the youth and overseas diaspora, via his strong social media presence and populist rhetoric.
What is important here is the question of what has made a significant part of the population believe Khan’s claims. After all, the allegations made by Khan have been called null and void by the country’s National Security Committee; civil society also considers the allegations as a mere populist move by Khan. The United States has such a notorious history of interfering in others’ affairs that even when there is no proof and mere rhetoric, people in Pakistan are willing to buy the narrative. No sentiments arise out of thin air. There are solid reasons why the average Pakistani has an unfavorable opinion about the United States. Anti-Americanism is prevalent among all sections of the society, in both the right and left wings. According to a Gallup survey, 72 percent of the population thinks the U.S. is an enemy and an alarming 80 percent of PTI supporters consider America an enemy. Pakistan has been a U.S. ally for most of its history, and yet public sentiments have not been much in the favor of the United States. Pakistan came into being 75 years ago on August 14, 1947 and has a much bigger, often hostile, neighbor. There is a common agreement in Pakistan that the U.S. has always favored India over Pakistan. This “friend of the enemy” is often seen with wary eyes. In contemporary times, the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy has India at its heart, which makes the public in Pakistan see the U.S. as inherently anti-Pakistan.Pakistan has been stuck between India’s strategic enmity in the east and Afghanistan’s volatile situation in the west for years. While officially Pakistan and the U.S. have worked together on Afghanistan, the fallout from these efforts has been devastating for Pakistan in practice.During the Cold War era, the U.S. propped up the mujahideen, with the support of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, to use as proxies against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. This social engineering on Afghan soil affected Pakistan brutally, in addition to turning Afghanistan into a failed state. Kalashnikov and drug culture fused into Pakistan. By the time the Soviet Union broke down, the mujahideen had become stronger, and the Americans did not care about handling the situation. Soon after the unfortunate 9/11 attacks, the U.S. invaded Afghanistan again and left it in tatters on August 15, 2021, when Kabul fell to the Taliban. Meanwhile, drone strikes in Pakistan generated feelings of loathing toward the United States – which helped propel Imran Khan to prominence in the first place.The U.S. has always seen Pakistan through the Afghan lens and hence focused on supporting the military to achieve its aims. Consequently, the United States – despite being the champion of democracy worldwide, at least in theory – has effectively supported dictatorships in Pakistan throughout its political past. Pakistan has experienced 33 years of direct military rule, and was under hybrid rule for most of the rest of its history. The dictator Zia-ul-Haq allegedly had the blessing of the United States when he judicially murdered the most popular leader of the country, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Moreover, international financial institutions are blamed for Pakistan’s economic plights, and there is a widespread agreement that the U.S. pulls the strings of these institutions. Pakistan has gone to the IMF program 22 times to date and has been crippled with debts. The most recent loan deal with the IMF was supposed to be conceived in 2019, but it kept being delayed. At the moment, the IMF is in talks with Pakistan and a loan release is likely. This helped the PTI in crafting a narrative that the imported government has the support of the United States. From security to politics to the economy, nearly every facet of Pakistan’s woes can be traced back to the United States in the public imagination. Today, Imran Khan has created a narrative that a U.S. conspiracy that led to his ouster from office. But it must be remembered that Khan’s machinations are only a symptom of the anti-Americanism that has long prevailed in the country.
https://thediplomat.com/2022/08/pakistan-at-75-a-long-history-of-anti-americanism/
Protests, hunger strike mark Pakistan’s Day of Minorities
By Kamran Chaudhry
Under the current system, religious minorities join others in voting for local representation in the national and provincial assemblies.
The Muslim leadership of the mainstream political parties only selects non-Muslim candidates by granting them tickets for the few seats reserved for minorities.
Currently, religious minorities can contest only 33 reserved seats in provincial assemblies and four seats in the Senate.
“This system practically takes away the democratic powers and rights from minority voters"
“This system practically takes away the democratic powers and rights from minority voters to elect their parliamentarians and instead power remains with the political parties and political elite. Merit is ignored. As a result, parliamentarians with minority seats follow party lines rather than focus on minority issues which remain unheard in parliament,” Samson Salamat, the Christian chairman of Rwadari Tehreek, told UCA News.
Church leaders cite blasphemy allegations, forced conversions and attacks on minority places of worship as major threats faced by religious minorities in the Islamic Republic.
Last month the Lahore High Court sentenced Ashfaq Masih, a Christian mechanic, to death for blasphemy.
Masih was accused of uttering blasphemous comments about the Prophet Muhammad at his shop in 2017 a few days after a dispute involving a Muslim customer.
According to the annual Human Rights Monitor of the Catholic Bishop's National Commission for Justice and Peace, 54 people were charged under the blasphemy law last year. These included 23 Muslims, 11 Christians, 14 Ahmadis and six Hindus.
Activists of Voice for Justice (VFJ) held demonstrations on Aug. 11 in five cities demanding the protection of religious freedom.
"Recognition of minority and human rights is imperative for stability"
“An autonomous and independent statutory National Council for Minorities must be constituted with a mandate to monitor the implementation of rights of minorities, to oversee policies and give advice on policy matters. Recognition of minority and human rights is imperative for stability,” said Ashiknaz Khokhar, a Catholic executive member of VFJ who organized a protest in Sahiwal, Punjab province.
Meanwhile, Archbishop Sebastian Shaw observed the Day of Masawat [equality] at Lahore’s Sacred Heart Cathedral on Aug. 10 with clerics and pastors.
“Long live Pakistan” chanted uniformed students as the prelate led a rally in the cathedral compound.
“We pray together to work for the prosperity of the country as per the vision of Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Everyone should work together to take the country out of challenges. May God hear our prayers,” he said addressing the gathering.
Shahbaz Bhatti, the Catholic federal minister for minorities, led the campaign to have Aug. 11 declared National Day of Minorities in 2009. He was assassinated in 2011 in a gun attack in Islamabad.
https://www.ucanews.com/news/protests-hunger-strike-mark-pakistans-day-of-minorities/98365
Free Balochistan Movement writes to UNHCR about mysterious deaths of Baloch activists abroad
In a detailed letter, the FBM vice president Dr Shahzavar Karimzadi also raised the issue of Baloch political refugees living abroad, especially those in Afghanistan living under constant danger.
The letter also drew the UNHCR’s attention to the case of the mysterious disappearance of FBM member Raziq Baloch from Kabul and claims of his murder by Pakistani TV where his photos were shared.
FBM in the statement further said that Saqib Karim’s family has given enormous sacrifices for Baloch freedom, his two brothers Asim Karim and Tariq Karim were abducted by Pakistani intelligence agencies in 2010 and 2011 from Karachi and Quetta and killed in custody.
Baloch protest outside Pak consulate in Germany to mark August 14 as ‘Black Day’
https://theprint.in/world/baloch-protest-outside-pak-consulate-in-germany-to-mark-august-14-as-black-day/1082767/