Dispatches: During Pakistan's Latest 'Emergency'
By Deb Boyer
When I arrive in a country to begin a new job, I'm not usually excited to get a text message on my cell phone that says "State of emergency to be declared tonight. Expect disruptions in cell phone service and media broadcasts. No change to work schedules." So, I sent a quick email home to say not to worry if I couldn't write home for a while. Yeah, I know, that probably didn't make anyone worry less. But, if our security team was not changing any of our work plans, how bad could it be?
So, on Saturday night General Musharraf made his announcement on the state run TV station, while all the private channels were taken off the air, including CNN and BBC news. My Internet service continued, although when I tried to download emails from my Green Mountain Access account, I got a phishing warning from Norton, which did make me wonder about who might be monitoring the internet. Ooh, I love intrigue.
Monday morning came and it was back to work, as usual. The streets were once again busy with traffic; workers headed to their employment; and shops slowly woke up for another day of business. The latest news from security was stay away from Constitution Avenue and the government buildings, but all other travel and work was to resume uninterrupted. The old Pakistan hands on my project seemed pretty bored by the new emergency - been there, done that. Here's the email I got from a Pakistani colleague: "Just to update you that other then some verbal unrest on political front life is pretty normal in the country. I took the round of the entire city and I did not see any kind of interference other then small contingents of security forces in front of national assembly and Supreme Court of Pakistan. There is still no evident reaction against the emergency or one can easily say against the fifth Martial law in last 61 years. 1st martial law was imposed between1959-1969, 2nd 1969-1972, 3rd 1977-1988, forth
1998-2007 and now this with different name of emergency as our nation spends total of 33 years under direct army rules (other than 28 years under indirect army rule). Our Pakistani nation is very much used to this kind of form of government and usually don't react to what is really a routine event."
Well, that sort of says it all, doesn't it - almost.
We all headed to work and took breaks only when a new text message arrived with alerts like "Demonstration planned for 2:00pm to 4:00pm at the Supreme Court building. Avoid area." Sometimes meetings got changed to avoid the action or we sent someone to look out the windows to see if the streets were clear at their end of the city. In all the many little rallies and protests I've been delayed to one meeting by 20 minutes. So much for finding the action.
As the days passed and this state of emergency took on a feeling of state of boredom, our attention has turned to speculation about what is really in the best interest for the country of Pakistan. That's what happens when you put a bunch of globe-hopping consultants around the same dinner table. We dream up ways to save the world, or more often talk about how stupid our own government seems to be.
Like many Americans, I listened with approval to the Bush government's declaration of a policy for bringing democracy to the Middle East and Asia as a way to solve their and our problems with extremism. This latest development in Pakistan has helped cement my belief that democracy is not the answer.
The general may talk democracy and act the dictator, but he is playing to a number of disparate audiences, domestic and foreign. A true democracy requires that the government representatives know how to compromise. It also requires trust in the system. We know that if we don't like our current government, we just have to wait two to four years. They do not. If one of the many tribal groups gets too much power, they are most likely to keep it and use it against the other religious and ethnic groups.
Which brings me to another difference in our societies, the zero sum rule. We believe that when one of us prospers, it's a symbol of the opportunities available to all of us and that we can all prosper. In much of the world, people believe that it's a zero sum game - if my neighbor does well, there is less of the pie for me. So, they work hard to prevent their neighbors from doing well, so there will be more available for them.
All of these differences make democracy a very difficult option for places like Pakistan. Many people here really want it. I wish it for them, but I understand when stability and peace is established through another means. Benazir Bhutto is both loved and hated. She has proven to be as corrupt and self-serving as the next politician. She will take care of her own, the same way leaders of other segments of the population will take care of theirs. A unified Pakistan does not exist. Even the reason for their separation from India - religion - is broken into sects and rivalries.
There are no good guys in Pakistan's political struggle, which makes me think a continuation of military rule may not be such a bad thing. After all, democracy brought the Hamas to power in Palestine and look how well it's working in Iraq. At this point, I think we need to be happy with stable regimes and quit trying to impose our version of democracy on the rest of the world.
The real threat is the Taliban and al Qaeda, which are both becoming stronger while this political distraction consumes the Pakistan government's attention. I'm much more worried about their advances over the last month than a military ruler who is capable of keeping peace among the rivals. While the media films the 30 protestors who chant and march down the streets of Islamabad, who is watching the Taliban take over town after town of northwest Pakistan? Now that is scary stuff.
So, that's my take on Pakistani politics and the newest state of emergency. Now it's time to get back to work like everyone else around here. I also need to coordinate dinner out with friends, perhaps at our favorite fish restaurant where I think I'll have the lobster bisque tonight. But first, a hike in the hills where I can enjoy the 70 degree sunny weather. Aah, life in Pakistan.
Journal Excerpts:
Sunday 4 November
Military Rule:
So, when a country's president decides to sack a branch of government, what do you think that means? Well, it means that private TV stations are taken off the air. But the Internet is up and my cell phone still works.
And being Sunday, the streets outside the guest house are quiet.
Being a somewhat curious person, I decided we should go check things out.
It's the day of the week when brunch at the Serena Hotel has become a traditional outing with my friends, Garry and Sharon. We did ask ourselves if we should be going out, but posited that if the military is firmly in charge, Islamabad is probably a pretty safe place to be today.
The drive to the hotel was normal, the brunch well-attended, and the only sign that something was afoot are the police and soldiers standing around at every intersection. After eating we decided to check out Constitution Avenue, in front of the president's office and Parliament. Nothing happening there either, although the road directly in front of the Parliament building and President's office was blocked to traffic. Yawn.
So, I guess it is work as usual tomorrow.
Sunday 12 November
Greetings from the action!
Yawn. The action is very localized and predictable. We usually know days in advance when and where there will be protests. Things will have to heat up a lot more before I can't just take another street to drive around the police barricades. Work, school, shops, and life goes on for all but a very tiny portion of the population. And that includes me. Work, food, and guest house is my life.
The job is still fun. Later this week we visit some branches and figure out the details of their operations. My local counterparts are pleasant, good to work with, and fast becoming friends.
Saturday 17 November
Back from the desert, where we visited the region where my client's non-profit will begin its transformation into a bank. They have a huge micro-credit program where farmers get financing to grow wheat, cotton, fruits, and veggies for the local and export market. Yes, I realize that the desert is a strange place to be growing crops, but like the Nile valley in Egypt these farmers live along canals fed by a huge river that makes its way from the Himalayas and Hindu Khush in the north. It's amazing what will grow in a desert when it has access to water.
For once my timing was right for the weather. Instead of daytime temperatures in the triple digits we enjoyed 80-degree days and evenings in the low 70s or upper 60s. I exited the plane and walked down onto the tarmac and it felt like arriving in Florida from a Vermont winter, which added a feeling of holiday to our trip. The little government-run hotel was not as bad as I expected; the food was tasty; and the travel to the more remote branches not too painful.
BBC and CNN are back on the airwaves, so I'm guessing things have been pretty quiet lately. Benazir Bhutto goes in and out of house arrest, depending on what mischief she's up to this week. The general is being much more tolerant of her than he is of the other politicians, so it's likely she'll become part of the government, as originally planned - or so my colleagues are telling me. We all - the consultant gossips that is - are more worried about what's going on in the north. The Taliban have taken over a large town and made much more progress in the tribal areas than ever before, proving Pakistan's military is weaker than ever. It doesn't help that they are preoccupied keeping Benazir and others out of action, and protestors quiet. I hope this political crisis quiets down soon and the focus can shift back to the real problems in the country soon.
So, back to my new addiction, Sudoku. I picked up a book in Heathrow airport and quickly became obsessed. We all need our small imperfections. Better Sudoku than drugs.
Sunday 18 November
Sunny and 75 degrees:
Just did a two-hour hike in the hills that border the northern edge of the city.
The project here is moving along nicely for me, but my colleague that's crunching the numbers is pulling out his remaining hairs. Non-profits that tend to depend on donor funds for everything are often not so great with the accounting. Their computer systems suck, their management information is unreliable, and getting numbers that make sense is quickly turning into an impossible feat. This business plan may turn out to be more of a creative writing project than we hoped.
Turkey Day
I'm at the office slogging through the writing of the promised business plan. Only four hours until turkey. We finish at the office at 6 p.m. and head to the home of a colleague who has organized a big Thanksgiving dinner for 14 people. I saw a couple cans of pumpkin pie filling get passed to him earlier in the week, so there is at least that. Hope there's turkey too.
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