Friday, May 8, 2009

Good News From Pakistan Civil Society's Side.

I guess I have been ranting about how Pakistani civil society is not standing up to the Taliban and the threat they pose to the existence of Pakistan.Well!Good News,everyone!
I guess Pakistani society has finally started to act now.On Friday,8th of May 2009,we had a peace rally at Liberty round about in Lahore,where various NGOs and individuals came together to tell Sufi Muhmmad and Mullah Omer,the Taliban leaders,that Pakistanis are so not going to back down and act like docile bitches and dogs.Such rallies are also good for they give a chance to the poor and uneducated to interact with NGOs working for a myriad of causes.Hearing slogans like 'Islam is a religion fo Peace' and 'Sufi Muhammad Go! Go!' help spread the message among the unpreviliged,who can turn out to be worst victims of mis-interpretation of a religion due to lack of knowledge and education about human rights,to be the next jihadis or abortion clinic bombing Christian fanatics.
But still,we need more rallies like these to show support for the people of Swat Valley,Buner and Dir as well as Malakand.
Another good news from the Pakistani side is that president Zardari has asked the military for a complete sweep out of extremism.Now I have some hopes.

2 comments:

  1. I think that you have not been closely following the civil society activities. There have been much larger protests against Talibanization earlier. I attended a large rally at Lahore Mall Road on April 5th. There were people in thousands. There have been other protests too for the last one month.

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  2. Dear Awais,
    I have been follwing the civil society's actions against talibanization closely,if not very closely.I am not denying that Pakistani NGOs and a large number of individuals are notposing a resistance to the Taliban,but that our civil society has started to really pull up their sock NOW! Now that the journalists and television shows were posed with death threats apparently for spreading 'vulgarity',did the journalists come out on the World Press Freedom Day to vow never to sumbit to evil.NGOs and certain individuals will always be there to furter the cause of peace in anywhere in the world.But today the electronic medium can be used to spread the word much more fastly.How many television hosts have openly condemned Taliban?or even asked people to resist them?The last one that I remember was Nadia Khan,siiting in Dubai which means she's in safe zone,and Meher Bukhari,who's show went off after she protested against ANP and the flogging of Chand Bibi(hmmm...right after the protest..am I wrong to assume that she HAD to go off air?).
    Today its not the time to only take out rallies,because honestly to the people who not only had the audacity to flog a girl but even admit it despite knowing the resentment it would cause,our protests our a joke.Today we need to openly challehnge them.Today we need to openly condemn them.Who is doing that?I know its not that easy.Its even impossible.But atleast we must give it a try so that if we look back we dont mourn over how we COULD have done this and COULD have done that.
    My own family is really against me even going to the peace rallies.I may be distant from the civil society,but I am not distant from the fears of middle and lower classes(when the words 'protest against taliban' come up).And they are a part of civil society too,isnt it?I hope I answered your criticism justly.If I havent,feel free to criticize.
    Thanks,

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