Islamabad..a personal observation.

1. CITY of Deception !!
BY DR SAIM ALI SOOMRO.
Islamabad is an strange city , its beautiful & organized , it has wide roads and sprawling
parks, it has flowers of all colors and people of all natures and ethnicities, it captures the
visitors with its enormous beauty and love with its first sight is common to strangers, life
is slow and tranquil on its exterior But city as as ruthless, as stone heart, as coward as
could be any one, its malls, wide spreading allies and huge mansions are full of worms,
there live spine less creatures who thrive on intrigue and vampire like persona, they have
sharp hooked canine ready to inject into unsuspected victims and systems, it is only city
where people talk some thing and it means some thing else. I have seen score less
nothings, weightless beings which become so powerful that they start eating their masters
and kin if the need arose!
The city is cool and cold, Since 1988, I am in love with this city and at the same
time I hate this too for its cold blooded attitudes and intrigues which is always in the air,
there is some thing always going on in this city’s palaces, offices and large houses, when
I came to interview in this city I was young and enthusiastic, when I was going back that
day the Dictator of our time was blown up in Bahawalpur, I was in Train and going back
to Hyderabad where I was doing my House Job in LMCH, we heard the news and
couldn’t hide our joy !! One who hanged an elected Prime Minister and heart throb of this
always unfortunate country, we felt that now we will have a democracy and rule of Law ,
some one will make from scratch the institutions of this country, some will change the
destiny of poor , there will be roads and will be progress to our neglected home land and
than I came back to this city for serving and living by the time democracy begun , we saw
political leaders turn Ministers and their tantrums, a never ending chaos for a decade,
where leaders were playing musical chairs , rule of game they made were not to allow
other to play , every thing for me & nothing for others !!
Sanity has never prevailed in our leaders and country is in strong grip of
establishment of both types which have no regards for politics and political leader ship
they always obey them with a hidden smile and false respect for people in power, once
they are gone, they are forgotten, if they have an intelligent leader ship they find
weakness in their characters and exploit them, they lead some leaders to gallows , some
to exile and some one when mature and ready to serve with honesty is killed cold
coldblooded in broad day light in front of thousands.
Establishment of this unfortunate nation has always been masters of this country since its
birth or shortly after birth, they found this country a gift from its masters of the past, who
divided sub continent and trained our establishment in their military and civil institutions
till to date to teach them how to rule not that how to serve, the newly born country has a
large cadre of political workers, untrained and uneducated with a very few leaders who
has some insight and experience in governance, most of the migrated leaders were from
princely states or land lord families and their relation to people was of a Master and slave
and they knew only this type of rules, exceptions were there but scanty, so the country
started running on adhoc, still is being run by adhocism, institutions were never allowed
to develop, social services are still in infantile stage , health ,education and Rights are
limited to leader ship’s families all others were treated as fillers !!
This attitude lead to amputation of half of the country in 1971, the leader ship now came
in remaining part of country gave it the constitution and a system of governance and a

2. new beginning, once again it was politician playing others game made so much chaos
that hidden and behind the curtain masters brought the Sword of Islam reluctantly in
Power again just Five years after their long rule and two Martial Laws brought separation
of eastern wing and military defeat of worst kind , about one hundred thousands laid their
ammunition ,bowed to their enemy & presented guard of honor to Commander of enemy
army!!!
It took them Five years to topple the elected government and hang the Prime Minister in
controversial court decision, it took us from 76 to 88 to get a fresh air after a long dark
night of iron rule but once again politicians played at the hands of behind the curtain
enemies and foolish friends, this game of hatred and deceit could only played for roughly
10 years when an other soldier marched in to rule and again this went on for over a
decade of rule of necessity validated by courts and Mullah –military alliances , the two of
popular leaders and former political foes went in to exile self or sponsored and ran their
remaining parties from remote control, they reconciled in exile and decided not to repeat
mistakes of the past, People were again happy when they signed the Charter Of
democracy, this time it looked like real dream , people of this country were euphoric but
that state was short living , one of the popular leader killed in broad day light in her
political rallies in Rawalpindi shortly before elections, her husband assumed all powers
of the largest Political party and cooled down furious people to save the country and
democracy, later on as every one knows the story , he won the Elections and made
reconciliation his aim, He promised to restore judiciary which was hanged by than soldier
ruling for 10 years or more and got himself elected by out going parliament. Husband of
ex-PM slain near the capital was again a target killing by those who knew that she is only
leader and intelligent enough to put this country on the path of democracy and can handle
international pressures like father like daughter!!
Intrigues of this City killed two of our best leaders after partition, over a year after
her death and her party is singled out as enemy of democracy, only leftist and largest
party of the country , who has long struggle for democracy, has got killed their leaders
and workers in the way to shining and promising future for their country, perhaps their
Leader was killed due to her ideas and pledge to bring true democracy and politics of
respecting others and their mandate, live and let live, she was removed to clear the way
for one year , her husband in presidency and party in power, they have acted unable to
fulfill their promises repeatedly , made furious their allies, few people are aking
unpopular decisions and President is allowing them to act their way to malign , his party
and democracy, with out realizing that world is not same as was in eighties and nineties,
media is no longer in chains and Tv & computer has made world a smaller place to live!!
Government and opposition+ civil society & lawyers has reached at point of no
return, whole world is looking at us in pity, terrorism has already made us a sore thumb
in community of nations, our enemies are happy at our present and friends crying silently,
again these are politicians which have no honor for 160million nation and their wishes
which wants to see Democracy in this country and strong institutions, they want right to
equal justice in this country but rabid politicians have closed their eyes from light and
rapidly they are falling in to trap set by enemies of democracy.
It’s the loss of 160 million of Pakistanis most of them un educated , living and
dying on daily wages, most of the children can not attend the schools because they have
to feed their families for less than a dollar a day!!

3. It is again this City and its haunted palaces, where dragons of deception,
dishonesty & intrigues live, they are furious at common men, civil society and lawyers
for their movement to restore deposed judges, they have lost their respect for politician
and politics way that is played in this country, We don’t want this type of Politics any
more, we want politics of honor & mutual respect, only Politics which can pave way to
progress not to fume differences and ethnicity!
Power corrupts and absolute power means absolute corruption, this is last chance
for many who can not sense the change of mood in nation and how rapidly they are
falling in a pit, never to rise again time will tell them.
There is always a way for the nations when they rise from ashes and time is
coming when we have to rise again as nation may it be from ashes.
What happened in the week preceding Long March for restoration of judiciary is a
tale of revolution, for a week government was adamant to not to bow down they have
erected barricades from Karachi to Khyber, crack down on political and civil activists, it
was not the way Musharaf did or in 1992 a civilian government did against BB’s long
march call it was softer than that but Media played its role in this struggle as a Guide and
Ministers & representatives of government found it hard to defend but it seems sanity
prevailed after mediation of Army chief and pressure from friends and mentors
Government has to bow down specially Man in haunted Presidency, after at least three
main Ministers resigned and there was huge out cry in ruling party, night before the Long
March when huge rally came out of Lahore including Mian Nawaz sharif , Lawyer’s
leaders and opposition parties men when they reach gujranwala , they were called by
Prime Minister and told that decision has been taken to reinstate Judges and with this
concludes the aim of Long March and early morning Prime Minister appeared as new
moderate and respected Leader of Pakistani masses, He told the nation that nation can not
afford the policy and politics of confrontation , we had started the lawyer’s movement
and we are re instating judges as was promised by the Shaeed BB.
His announcement has not only diffuse the tensions immediately but bring joy to
the depressed majority of this nation which were glued to the TV sets for a week in hope
that sanity will prevail in the end as it was not a dictatorial regime it was peoples
government and people wanted reinstatement of Chief Justice.
This is Victory and beauty of democracy where every one is Victor and no one is
looser, we want to hail the positive role played by COAS, People were afraid that things
were so worse that Martial law is just knocking on the door in spite of chances the Army
chief acted as mediator and guide the way from confrontation to re conciliation, we salute
him.
We salute this nation who is mature to demand its rights & media , Politicians, civil right
activists and above all Lawyers who did splendid job and for two years they have
struggled and got the due reward, may God give wisdom to our Judiciary and political
leaders so that this country should become a peace full democratic nation in Future to
come, there is long way to that dream but every thing is started with first step , if that step
is taken than it has to reach its goal. One day we will reach that goal.
Saim*