Pakistan: A Nation at the Crossroads

15 Dec, 2001    ·   662

Amit Jain points out the choices before Pakistan in the wake of Afghanistan’s poor experiment with the Taliban: to become a modern Muslim state or a medieval Islamic paradise
Amit Jain
No one feels the sense of loss that Pakistan is suffering today.

 

 

There is an eerie silence on the streets of Karachi . The large and violent rallies in several parts of the country have disappeared. It is no longer fashionable to display sympathy for the fallen Taliban or Osama bin Laden. No one wants to back a loser, not even in Pakistan .

 

 

The collapse of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan delivered a blow to its psyche. Afghanistan was a cornerstone in Pakistan ’s strategic thinking. To be honest, the Taliban was not of Pakistan ’s making. The armed mujahideen factions seized control of Afghanistan after the fall of President Najibullah wrecked havoc, leaving a catastrophe in their wake. It was in the chaos of war and destruction that the Pakistan establishment discovered a new ally. 

 

 

Like a hot desert wind the Taliban rose from the dusty plains of Kandahar and swept across Afghanistan . They were not terrorists then; they were an army of monks. An international journal, at that time, even referred to the Taliban as a puritan movement cast in the mould of militant 17th century missionaries. Although suspected, Pakistan ’s involvement in the Taliban affair came to light much later. By then it was too late; the Taliban went on to control two-thirds of the country. Pakistan had a friendly partner, and its eastern borders were made safe. Afghanistan was also seen as a new land corridor to open ancient trade routes to Central Asia . 

 

 

Having a fundamentalist regime next door was a mixed blessing for Pakistan ; however adverse its ultimate consequences, in the short run, it did more good than harm. For one, the sanctuary that Afghanistan gave to gun-toting militants reduced the pressure at home. The presence of terrorist training camps outside its borders also helped deflect international attention from its own little war inside Indian Kashmir. But September 11 changed all that overnight. Pakistan was forced to turn its back on the Taliban. The decision was not easy for General Musharraf. He has picked a potentially dangerous confrontation with his Islamic hardliners. But the choice he had to make was to sink with an ally or live and benefit from a more powerful one. General Musharraf made the right choice. It is now upto his countrymen to resolve what is good for them. 

 

 

Pakistan is passing now through a period of intense introspection.  Even after a half century of independence, Pakistan has yet to figure out its place in the world. It is a nation established on the ideals of Islam. But it is also a nation deeply rooted in a culture that is secular. There is now a clear clash of ideas within Pakistan . There is a creeping Talibanisation of its society. But in Punjab and urban centres like Lahore there is calm. A growing chorus of voices is calling for an open reassessment of Islamic values. The signals emerging from this large internal debate are encouraging. Influential groups of citizens are asking if they should let Islam adopt violent overtones. Some are even questioning the right of the religious leaders to issue “fatwas” or holy decrees. 

 

 

Despite their desire to promote Islam as a universal Ummah most Muslims in the subcontinent still consider religion to be a private affair, to be practiced and followed by conviction, not by force. They have seen what harm fundamentalism can do. The Taliban tried to make Afghanistan a land of Islamic ideals.  When they fell no one cried. The Afghans may still be debating what kind of a state they want, but at least they know what they do not want. It is Pakistan , which must now decide what it wants; to become a modern Muslim state or a medieval Islamic paradise.

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