Pakistan's political, financial and social sectors dominated by military under dictatorship
Ms Bhutto addresses writers, intellectuals in US
Florida - March 08, 2005

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my privilege to join you in the United States just four months after the Presidential election.

This American election heralded a season of elections. So I join you just weeks after the election of a new Palestinian President. I join you after the election of a new Iraqi Assembly. 

These three events open up a window of opportunity for stability, the containment of terrorism, and the nurturing of democracy in the Middle East and throughout those parts of the world where dictatorship still thrives. 

For me, it is a rare opportunity for seismic change that must be embraced before the window shuts. 

Decades, even centuries of tyranny, can be reversed if the world unites behind common principles of democracy, human rights and pluralism.  This may sound like idealism, but I believe it is a realistic assessment of an extraordinary moment in history.    

The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centres has changed the shape of the world. September 11^th 2001 is always in our minds.  The catastrophe that struck America that day continues to echo across the globe. 

Now, after a long time, the forces of violence seem to be in retreat.  Yes, they resort to desperate, acts in Iraq, in Chechnya, in Madrid. 

Yet fear and intimidation are being overwhelmed by hope and a new spirit of democratic participation and peaceful change.

Al Qaeda claimed that it would never let democracy take hold. It saw freedom as the ultimate enemy. 

Democracy is indeed the ultimate enemy of terrorism, just as hope is the ultimate enemy of despair.  Terrorists and dictators are on the wrong side of history, as the millions who voted in Iraq and Palestine proved.

And the Israeli Prime Minister’s decision for Israel to withdraw from Gaza offers hope of another breakthrough. The Gaza withdrawal could be the first step that brings hope of peace and justice to what seemed an insolvable Middle East morass.  

And if Israel and Palestine can live in peace and security side by side, I pray for resolution of the equally difficult quagmire of self-determination for Jammu and Kashmir that has brought India and Pakistan to war three times, and threatens a nuclear Armageddon on the subcontinent of Asia.   

My optimism does not mean there is no danger. Al Qaeda will try to provoke the clash of civilizations.  The question before us is whether the path to catastrophe can be avoided and whether the clash of civilizations is reversible.  I believe recent developments suggest that there is cause for hope.

Much of our ability to avert the clash of civilizations lies in learning the lessons of history. Patience and Perseverance are required to up haul political systems that disempower people in this the twenty first century. 

Short-term solutions could lead to blowback. 

My country Pakistan is an example of a Nation where the forces of tyranny, terrorism, proliferation and a militant interpretation of Islam by the margins mingle to create a difficult challenge.

The international community decided to throw its weight behind Pakistan's military dictator following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centers. There are worries though that the inability of the international community to facilitate Pakistan's transition to civilian and democratic rule could undermine its objectives in the long run.                

 It is a known that there is sympathy for Bin Laden, Taliban and Arab fighters amongst Pakistan's military and clerical class. These were the two organizations used to train the Mujahideen against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the eighties. Following the withdrawal of the Soviets, the Mujahideen went on to become in large parts the Taliban and Al Qaeda.  

Pakistan's military dictatorship culminated in the domination of the country's political, financial and social class by the military. Military dictatorship has coincided with the rise of the religious parties. The religious parties claim public friendship with Bin Laden and Mullah Omar. They have filled the vacuum caused by the military regime's determination to crush democracy, sideline the genuine representatives of the people and control the Parliament, Judiciary and Government.  

Pakistan's present military ruler, General Musharaf, vested the Presidency with enormous constitutional powers. These constitutional changes amounted to creating a civilian dictator. It was argued that an all-powerful President would help facilitate the withdrawal of the army to the barracks and prevent the recurrence of Martial Law in the country. This has not happened.

This December, after receiving signals that General Musharaf wanted to keep his military post of army chief, the Parliament passed a bill enabling him to be both President and Army Chief.  This is the first and only Parliament in the world that has allowed such a bill.

Musharaf  went back on his commitment to the people of Pakistan, and to the governments of the world, by keeping both posts. This action demonstrated the inability of the present regime to withdraw the army from Pakistan's political landscape following the October 2002 elections. Given the controversial nature of those elections, with allegations of massive rigging, it is unsurprising that the regime was unable to build a sustainable political and civilian base that could facilitate the withdrawal of the armed forces back to the barracks. Such a withdrawal is allow Pakistan to rejoin the international community as a modern, democratic and enlightened nation state with an empowered people.  

A military President in Pakistan, Washington’s key ally, sends the wrong message to one billion Muslims regarding the reasons for the war against terror.

President Bush called this a war for the values of freedom. Prime Minister Blair said this was not a war between religions but against oppression and tyranny.   The democratization of Pakistan is important to the war against terrorism, to the interpretation of Islam as a message of freedom and enlightenment as well as to the empowerment of the people of Pakistan.

The democratic world was moved by the words of President George Bush in his second Inaugural address.  He spoke of freedom offering hope to millions of oppressed people around the world. President Bush said, “there is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of freedom.”

People living under tyranny and dictatorship all over the world, but especially in Asia, listened carefully when Mr. Bush said that the United States “will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people.  America’s belief in human dignity will guide our policies, yet rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators; they are secured by free dissent and the participation of the government.”

Now it is time to act on these words.  Now it is time to convert rhetoric into reality, to convert polemics into policy.  The elections in Palestine and Iraq are two stirring examples.  The principles of the Bush doctrine must be applied across the board against tyranny, not just when it is politically convenient.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today I see a Muslim world in flux. Many of the children of middle class families in the Muslim world studied in state run schools and are children of societies shadowed by dictatorship. Often, they grew up under a ruthless dictatorship using the intelligence services, rather than the parliament or the people, to govern. 

Even as political freedoms were denied, economic and social successes remained a distant dream. While the elites thrived, the large masses of people lived in poverty and backwardness eking out a miserable life hindered by disease, malnutrition and infact mortality.

The mainstream political parties were banned and stopped from freely functioning. The safe place for people to gather was often only the Mosques. It became a place of prayer and of political discourse.

Unable to take on the regime directly for fear of retaliation, the clerics would speak against those who supported the dictator—and often this was the West.

Thus a Cold War generation, grew up hearing about denial of nationhood to Palestine, lack of self-determination to Kashmir, the denial of autonomy to the Chechens. They learnt of past Muslim glory based on conquest and war. They learned little or nothing about the Muslim renaissance that saw giant leaps forward in medicine, astronomy, mathematics, literature and science based on education and rational discourse. 

They imbibed the lesson that a return to the simple, austere life of the past could once again rekindle the courage and passion that saw Islam sweep across continents and spread its message far and wide.

The theocratic state, disciplined under a single religious figure, was presented as the path to victory, -----victory against the injustices perpetuated by bigger powers. This translated into victory against the existing national dictatorship and the social malaise it had spawned.

This embittered generation must be rescued with an alternative political model to that of the theocratic state. The fight for freedom is a fight for values that can build a pluralistic world free of discrimination on the basis of race, religion or gender.

When the terrorists targeted the World Trade Centers, they tried to destroy a symbol of pluralism. 

America is a land of modernity, diversity and democracy.

Modernity, diversity and democracy are the fanatics’ worst fears. They confuse the message to prevent Muslim people from learning that diversity ensures that cultural and religious identity remains intact.

Whatever their alleged goals, there is no defence or justification in Islam for their barbaric conduct.

Islam is committed to tolerance, equality and human dignity. It is committed to empowerment of the masses through the principles of consensus that lie at the heart of democracy.

Tragically, despite this clear Islamic commitment to democracy, most Muslims are living in dictatorships and are hostages in authoritarian regimes around the world .

The message of Islam highlights the importance of spreading education, respecting gender rights and ensuring minority rights. However, this important message of Islam is yet to spread in many of the dictatorships. It is democracy that brings accountability,that allows for social progress and that stems the tide of poverty and backwardness. A comparison of the peoples progress under the democratic government of the PPP and those that came after it clearly shows that ordinary people benefit under a true democracy.

It worries me when I see Islamabad turn a blind eye to crimes against women. Immediate, stern action is needed by the regime to signal disapproval when a crime against a woman is committed. Yet the regime acts slowly, and only when prodded by public outcry.

This year An Army Captain took part in the gang rape of a lady doctor. It took weeks of public protest before he was finally arrested. And even after his arrest, the regime sided with the rapist, claiming he was innocent, rather than with the victim. It is this inability to distinguish between the exploiter and the exploited that best highlights the difference between a dictatorship and a democracy.

So, too, when a lady filed a complaint of domestic violence against one of Islamabad’s Ambassadors, the regime sided with him and allowed him to continue in his post. By so doing, it condoned the crime and created an atmosphere of violence against women that must be replaced with protection for women. 

Ladies and gentlemen,

Muslim countries are in search of leaders that can revitalise them with the principles of freedom.

Muslim countries, including Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Philippines had long histories of authoritarian rule. These are the countries that now face terrorist activity, terrorist threat and a sizeable minority with sympathy for terrorists as demonstrated in public opinion. This is the counter picture that those who defend authoritarianism need to answer. The Asian tigers were once cited as examples of societies with growing economies to defend dictatorship. Time demonstrated that such dictatorships benefited a coterie and led to nepotism, cronyism and corruption. It  did not benefit the masses. It also led to a human rights deficit. 

The alternative argument isthat the rise of lawlessness and terrorism witnessed in countries with long periods of authoritarianism demonstrates a link between terrorism and the system of  government. By suspending the majesty of law, by taking over by force, by ruling through repression, military dictators and authoritarian rulers gave birth to the culture of obtaining power through violence. 

To undermine terrorism, it is necessary to empower citizens and build a society on the edifice of the majesty of law. Unless right prevails over might as a core value of governance it threatens to corrupt the youth with the notion that change comes through use of force alone. 

We must fight a war on terrorism and simultaneously fight an equally critical war on the political manipulation of religion and against the regressive forces of totalitarianism.

The terrorists who attack America aim to establish theocracies to manipulate for their own political ends.  They want to see the world divided through a clash of civilisations. 

By using the name of religion, the terrorist activities have hurt Muslims across the board. Many Muslims today face suspicion or profiling by virtue of being Muslims. 

The war against terror is a war that must be fought for world safety.

And it is a war that I believe must be fought with collective action to stop those that would create a clash of cultures and religions.        

Short-term strategies often create far more intractable long-term problems.   A military dictatorship in Islamabad exploits the war against terror to keep itself in power at the cost of the constitutional rights of its people.  It is nine years since democracy in Pakistan was destabilised with the murder of my brother in 1996. Since then Pakistan has since electoral manipulations that are disheartening the people. Many now refuse to vote believing that irrespective of how they vote, the result will be doctored. This is dangerous for Pakistan's democratic future. It is also a danger for the world community when people lose hope in influencing policies through peaceful, electoral means.                            

Ladies and gentlemen,

We must learn the lessons of the past. The fundamental mistake, contributing to a long-term historical calamity, was our inability to foster Afghan democracy when the Soviets withdrew from Kabul. We must not repeat that mistake again.

Democracies do not make war against other democracies. They also do not sponsor international terrorism.    

A democratic Afghanistan in the eighties would have marginalized the Taliban and the Osama's of this world. 

Now that the US presidential elections are over, it would be welcome if the international community led in building an opportunity for Pakistan's transition to democratic rule. 

Fresh party based elections, open to all parties and personalities, with international monitors, an independent Election Commission, electoral modalities that are transparent and a count that is immediate, open and accurately reflects the sentiments of the people could settle issues of legitimacy and governance which now complicate Pakistan's social and economic challenges. Such an election could put Pakistan back into the community of democratic nations with sustainable political institutions. 

Recently the world learned that scientists in charge of Islamabad’s nuclear weapons program were clandestinely selling nuclear secrets to North Korea, Iran and Libya.  Dr. A.Q.Khan, the chief scientist came on television to confess his guilt. That very evening he was pardoned and allowed to keep the assets obtained through the illicit nuclear sales.

In contrast, politically motivated corruption allegations are used to malign the true leaders of the people and to hamper Pakistan's tryst with its democratic future. Such double standards must not be allowed.

Proliferation, Terrorism, Tyranny is a perilous mix. Pakistan's stability is critical to the world community. That stability is contingent to a political process that reflects the sentiments of the people and gives them a government they trust and want working on an agenda of peoples development.

The controversial October 2002 elections have failed to combat poverty, reform the judiciary or empower Parliament. Those elections failed to bring in mainstream political parties. A dangerous political vacuum yawns across society. While parties that defend Al Qaeda and the Taliban are permitted full political freedom, democratic leaders are imprisoned, exiled or hamstrung from reaching the public with their message of modernity and progress.

When elections in Ukraine were rigged, the international community supported fresh elections.   The European community and human rights observers called Islamabad's 2002 elections flawed. Human Rights Watch declared that the "decks were stacked against the democratic" forces. When elections can be re-held in Ukraine, they can be re-held in Pakistan. And they must be held as urgently and fairly as possible to restore the usurped rights of the people back to them.

Two assassination attempts on General Musharaf demonstrate the thin thread on which the alliance with Islamabad is built. 

In the war against terrorism, the greatest protection of freedom from terrorists comes from replacing dictatorships with governments responsible to the people, governments based on the values of democracy and liberty.  

The stakes are high.  The long-term implications are great.  

As President George W. Bush said on January 20, 2005:  “The moral choice is between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is always right.  America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or than any human being aspires to lie at the mercy of bullets.”