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What’s the most stirring thing about the revelations WikiLeaks has brought to us today? Nothing? Or everything? For starters, quite a few people reading the cables right now must be gloating and inwardly thinking or outwardly bragging. “Hah! I knew it all along!” Of course you did. Didn’t we all?
But then there must be those thinking that the flower garlands they distributed and the drum beats they danced to during the Chief Justice’s reinstatement wasn’t exactly for the right motive now, was it? Do you feel cheated? Did the Sharifs pump you up for the wrong reasons? Watch out, their rejection of foreign aid (read American aid, not Saudi aid) just might be another political ploy too. No secret document needed to figure that one out.
“The nation wants a change and it will come. We have decided to go ahead with the Long March. This government is a sham,” Nawaz had said at the time of the long march.
But what the cables tell us today is that actually Sharif sahab, your long march was a sham. Your rally was a sham and your motive was a sham.
“Shahbaz stressed that his party could not afford the political humiliation of abandoning what had become a long-standing principle in favour of Chaudhry’s restoration. At the same time, Shahbaz claimed to understand that Chaudhry was a problematic jurist, whose powers would need to be carefully curtailed,” reported Lahore Consulate Principal Officer Bryan Hunt in a secret American diplomatic cable describing his meeting with the younger Sharif on March 14, 2009.
That’s not what you told us, Mr.Sharif. So much for being a democracy when hardly anything around here is done for the people. Instead, what our democracy and democratic leaders have done for years is protect their interests through the people, as opposed to thinking along the lines of national interest.
Let’s leave democracy and the sham aside for a minute. Let’s focus on all those who believe that the army believes in sovereignty. Do you feel cheated? Seems like our government isn’t the only one exchanging secrets with America. Our army has a wish-list too.
In a meeting on January 22, 2008 with US CENTCOM Commander Admiral William J. Fallon, Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani requested the Americans to provide “continuous Predator coverage of the conflict area” in South Waziristan where the army was conducting operations against militants. The request is detailed in a ‘Secret’ cable sent by then US Ambassador Anne Patterson on February 11, 2008. Pakistan’s military has consistently denied any involvement in the covert programme run mainly by the CIA.
Another previously unpublished cable dated May 26, 2009 details President Zardari’s meeting on May 25 with an American delegation led by Senator Patrick Leahy. “Referring to a recent drone strike in the tribal area that killed 60 militants,” wrote Ambassador Patterson in her report, “Zardari reported that his military aide believed a Pakistani operation to take out this site would have resulted in the deaths of over 60 Pakistani soldiers.”
There you have it Pakistani people. Your leaders and your army both have more faith in the American government than they do in themselves and although this certainly is not a shocker, it most certainly is a confirmation of every doubt we have ever had against them.
Talk of sovereignty today is a farce. Sovereignty is not sacred and whether it’s Kayani who pretends to uphold it or whether it is Gilani, fact remains that we are secretly (well, not so much anymore) selling it every single day.
Then what is it about WikiLeaks and what it unveils, that makes Pakistani people stunned and jittery? The fact that we are reading ‘classified’ files? Or is it the secret jargon? We are a nation of conspiracy theorists and we already have assumed every worst possible scenario.
If these cables that have been revealed, tell us anything, it is that ‘yes, you are right.’ You are right to doubt the government’s competence, you are right to question the military’s motives, you are right in assuming the Sharifs just want to safeguard their power and most of all, you are right when you believe that no one cares about you. These classified documents do not tell you anything more or anything less. They just confirm what you have already been thinking all along.
Shyema Sajjad is the Deputy Editor at Dawn.com
Illustration by Faraz Aamer Khan/Dawn.com
"Nobody Cares About Us"
i Agree with U 110 %
As an American citizen I am surprised that a great number of Pakistanis are ashmed of thier country and the leadership. They feel they deserve the bad leaders. I assuer you that at least America is not as corrupt or bad as your leaders so don't complain about Americans. Your leaders will destroy you if we leave you alone.
I firmly believe that in the long run a nation gets the leaders it deserves. The long list of failed Pakistani leaders is not their failure, but it is the failure of the Pakistani people. I do not blame Zardari, Gilani, Nawaz or other leaders. They simply reflect the crooked face of Pakistani nation, an easy target to deflect our own failures as a nation. Do you really think that current govt. falls and new govt. comes in it will misterously solve all the problems? Not a chance. Unless and until, the people reform themselves (a long task that can take decades), nothing will change.
I deserve not to be cared for. When I change and become a selfless person who also cares for others other than his own self, acts on solutions that improve his own inner self and the prevailing conditions in his home and his country, only then do i deserve any care from the Creator and the creation.
Janab, i appreciate the efforts of DAWN and salute for their courage and true journalism. First time a credible information has been provided from a reliable source. whether it is about Army, PML (N) or PPP. We should swallow these facts and accept the reality. We can't afford more true lies in our life. Enough is enough. Now get ready to accept the truth.
I continue to believe that Nawaz Sharif is THE solution if there is any solution for Pakistan's problems. However, Mian saheb has to get rid of his brother Shahbaz Sharif, before it becomes too late. As the supreme leader of the ML-N, Nawaz Sharif should replace Shahbaz with the most courageous and most principled personality of the party, i.e., Makhdoum Javed Hashmi, as president of the party, and with a choice of Hashmi saheb as the Chief Minister of Punjab.
Why shouldn't the army and government let the USA use drones when it saves the lives of Pakistani soldiers? Would you rather let even a single Pakistani life go to waste when you could have saved it using a Predator drone?
Well it's about time that we realize that PPP is not only corrupt, but incompetant. So this election, we all go out and vote for PML-N. Half way during the next government's rule, we'll be sick of PML-N again for the 18th time, and will vote for PPP in the following elections. I mean, this has worked in the past 60 years, why wouldn't it work now? Yay democracy!
I care about you: Open letter to the people of Pakistan.
Many Americans, Iraqi people, the Afghanistan people, I; and, now you, the people of Pakistan, know the pain of “extra-judicial homicides” as American authorities reclassify murders that they commit against “suspects.” People like those Pakistani people killed by flying drones because they are “suspects.”
As an American Drug War (the war before your wars) casualty, I know first hand all about American government authoritarians and their ability to kill without compunction.
Here are the facts of my personal encounter with the Drug War. Judge for yourself: is this what you want America to do to you? Do you see any similarities with the murders of Pakistani “suspects”?
Fact one: My Son, Michael, is among the all too numerous “extra judicial” homicide deaths, here in the United States, directly attributed to the “Drug War.” He was gunned down by, quite literally now, hooded jack booted Drug Warrior thugs with police badges.
While Michael stood naked by his own bed, Drug Warriors burst through his front door and riddled his bedroom with machine gun fire. Michael was shot 10 times and died a few hours later from the bullets that ripped his head.
The Authorities all agreed killing my Son (who had no police record) was just, because an unidentified informant said Michael had drugs (ecstasy) and, of course, the Drug Warriors claimed there was the always just too convenient gun which was never fired nor even produced.
By now every American knows and you should be aware: In the name of the “War on Drugs,” our Drug Warriors, with little or no compunction, shoot people to death based on suspicion. Is this what you want for Pakistan? More “extra-judicial” death for suspected activity?
Fact two: I was arrested, in New Orleans (for marijuana); Drug Warriors manipulated the entire matter and delivered the marijuana. I was to pay what I could, when I could and if I could. I had no where-with-all to accomplish the crime so the government provided all of that. What I had was the “propensity” to do the crime; therefore, according to our law, all the United States Government did was considered completely legal.
I was forced to agree to a set prison sentence while, quite oddly, forced to tell the Judge I wasn’t being coerced. In my case, there was no marijuana (other than the government’s), no guns, and no money; yet, at 50 years old, with no police record, I became a manufactured criminal in the drug war while the taxpayers spent around a million dollars on my arrest, conviction and incarceration. I mean, if you want a police state you ought to be prepared to pay for it.
The United States imprisons 25% (2.5 million) of the world’s prisoners while our population comprises 5% of the world’s people. Per capita, we imprison six times the number of British prisoners and we imprison young Black males six times the number of White males. Do you really think our people are that bad?
My United States feeds and houses more prisoners than we have Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast guard uniformed personnel combined. We employ more prison guards than we have Troops in our entire contingent of Marines.
Trust me on this one: A huge number of U.S. prisoners should not be in prison. True, some people need to be incarcerated; unfortunately, U.S. prisons are full of non-violent prisoners serving outrageously long sentences. Is this what you want for Pakistan? More manufactured criminals filling more prisons?
Fact three: Drug Warriors will not tell you the truth about the drug war. They are in it to deep and have become an important part in the prison/industrial complex. True, the Drug Warriors have forced me to bow by implementing procedures like sanctioned murder of my Son, Federal imprisonment, character
assassination and confiscation of property. Also true, today, I am completely cowed, afraid and powerless to resist.
I know, for an experienced unequivocal fact: my government can, at will, set me up for an arrest and conviction, adjust my sentence to however long they want or shoot me, my family and even my dog, until dead. And, not one person will be able to do anything about it.
So, I ask the last question: In order to appease the blood lust approach to the drug war, will all of the American people be forced to cower before the United States government as I must cower? Will Pakistan?
In my country, the United States, the drug war has been going strong for 40 years with no exit strategy in sight. In all those years of “extra-judicial murders, arrests with long term convictions in the millions of people, confiscation of billions in property, and on and on: the government Drug Warriors have never lost a battle; yet, are no closer to “winning” anything much less a war. No, the “War” goes on for the sake of profits and the government Drug Warriors collect their monthly pay or retirement pensions with unbridled glee, as if they actually produced some good for America.
If you are a Pakistani Citizen reading this, you can now understand: The American authorities have all of the big guns and, pretty much at will, shoot us American “suspects” with impunity, just like they shoot you from drones in the sky. As a casualty of the 40 year never ending Drug War, I can tell you for certain: the American authoritarians will never go away easily.
The big difference between you, in Pakistan, and me: Here in America we cannot complain without fear of reprisals.
You on the other hand can force the American drones out of your country and that is exactly what you should do if you want to stop the “extra-judicial” murderers.
Steve Swimmer, United States Citizen
I read your whole open letter and as a fan of Hollywood have seen many dilms on this drug issues like Traffic and all…n u said rightly american will not go away from here easily as much they will keep setting their puppets on us i feel first we need to et a true leadership and then to kick out those drones which are killing our own people just bcoz they are suspects and in reaction they come to our cities to kill the other fellow pakistani. like its going to creat a destabalizing the country…as a destabalize pakistan is easy for US interest then a stabalize one… bcoz in stabalized countries they think for their own interests first but US warlors who support wars who supported shameful Vietnam and Iraq war will try to open other fronts in pakistan…i really appreciate your writing and i hope you will do well in your life.. May your son soul rest in peace in heaven……We like US people, but we dont like US war morngring policies to invade country for their interest and get get recources….Greetings from Pakistan..Let's pra for peace everywhere in the world…We have only this planet let's share it with peave and do progress no hatred for religion caste and creed and countries…
All the best ! Keep writing !
you say…………."………Let’s pra for peace everywhere in the world…We have only this planet let’s share it with peave and do progress no hatred for religion caste and creed and countries…"
Only such sentiments can be a hope for peace in the subcontinent and in the world. Very much soothing. Keep writing.
Article would have been much better if it has targeted every politician on wiki leaks rather then targeting PML-N only.
Thats the prime example of why do we face situation like this. Some people like you are not accepting of the fact that certain leader like Mr Sharif are one of Pakistan's most corrupt leaders and due to blind fate in such leaders and failure to listen to any negative feedback we have created whole political arena full of corrupt politicians and yet we hope that Pakistan will survive. Are we not fooling ourselves here by keeping such a hope?
I am surprised at your reaction. but, do we deserve a better leadership. bad people=bad leadership.
Lets now bring Imran Khan Who seems to be the last hope of Our Generation Lets give him chance and bring Youth of pakistan forward to build good of pakistan Atleast Imran khan has vision motive a goal that he always expresses but rest of our leaders hardly have any future or current plans to even be exposed
We now know why all the Worlds leaders are hell bent on silencing Assange and closing down Wikileaks. Their hypocrisy stands exposed. We need many more sites like Wikileaks so that we can call our Rulers to account.
Can wikileaks be another scam????
What makes one so certain of its truthfulness?
if we still think this sham democracy(parliamentory form)is going to work for people after repeated elections,we are living in fools paradise.probably presidential form of democracy i.e vote for president and vice president may work for us.in this way people who are honest and sincere like Imran khan may have a chance and pakistan may also have a chance to survive otherwise we are heading for break-up or a bloody revolution
excellent blog exposing duplicity of pakistani leaders duplicity in their dealings and compromising sovernighty.Pakistan lost sovernighty when they gave air bases to usa in 50's under seato agreement.no point in lamenting now
India is in the same boat my friend. Your leaders have also sold the govt. to the Western Super power. So don't speak so soon.
India and Pakistan may become a better friend than Indo-US or Pak-China if these politicians (on both sides) and Pak army ever get serious abt it. Thses countries have so much in common and common people want to live on peace and harmony. Imagine if India and Pak were not so insecured abt each othr and wasted so much money in buyin US or chinese arms, our countries wud hv been doing so great. But why will these Western power including China will let us live in peace. Who will buy their weapons then?
My advice to Ramachander and hassan, what will we gain by pulling each others leg. The result will be more hatred. Lets gain more value for our words on this public blog. Let us be more competitive in Goodness which will help both sides. Let us not waste our time in creating more bitterness but let us waste our time in creating more good feelings for each others.
i agree with you very well said Raju.. Keep writing !
Mr Hassan neither india receive any aid from "superpoer" nor india have presence of any foreign army.can you explain a bit more?
Prashant, well you're doing better…India is a country with great power and good leaders and we're lacking that and i dont think there is any or even near to any such scenario as pakistan is facing in the USA interference but i don't think US nuke deal will support India in the future they might will like to play same game by giving little asking so much and set the puppetts to extract the common public blood…But i hope it wont happen…Greetings from Pakistan…
Considering the timing of the published leaks, even though I am not a fan of politicians but I highly doubt that the news paper motives are all that crystal clear as well.
Ali, let us care about the revealed information even if there were unavouable motives behind them.
May be its time to Vote for Imran khan, atleast he played for pakistan whole heartedly and built a hospital for the people of pakistan, hopefully he brings prosperity to pakistan
To me, all wiki leaks are just a confirmation of what is going on in this region.
True. It is sad on our part that even when we have been exposed to such information time and again, we still fall in the trap that is set by our leaders. We still are deceived by the partial truth brought to us and do not search for the complete and comprehensive facts underlying it.
i totally agree with tariq! he is absolutely right
Excellent article. You've described the situation perfectly…talk of sovereignity is just that, talk. Unless the common Pakistani realises the fact that the Establishment is out there to fatten its wallet and do nothing else, there will be no change.
Please don’t be prejudice; it’s an eye opening article. We the people of Pakistan have been sold from the day one. However, I guess the all happening for many years is happening for something good. Insha Allah. The matter of the fact is that all nation has become corrupt, hypocrite and greedy so as our civilian and army leadership. But a time is near to come, when we all have to change. Then Allah will bless us with a sincere leadership.
Let us change our selves. This leadership is the reward of our sins. When will correct our deeds, wishes and practices.
Well, I'm not surprised to say the least.
This is the same Nawaz Sharif who was a by product of Gen. Zia-ul-Haq's dictatorial regime. It's the same Sharif who had his police goons literally assault the Supreme Court of Pakistan to bandage his bruised ego back in the late '90s. And it's the same Sharif who chose to flee the country and live a cushy life in Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the 1999 coup. So much for bravely facing all criminal charges against himself.
Zardari, Altaf or Sharifs, they are one and the same — the many faces of the same dice of political opportunists. May God have mercy on our souls.
Its high time that people wake up now. There are people who do not read news paper or blogs in the country, a lot of them.
Lets bring awareness to everyone in the country. Lets stand united and let the corrupt know that democracy is for those who chose the leaders and not for the "chosen leaders" who get drunk in power.
There was no doubt in the minds of many Pakistanis (except N league workers) that Nawaz sharif was resorting to long march with the ultimate aim of getting the govt of his brother restored in Punjab. Our people are (what to call them) going to vote these so called leaders into power this time. I request that the media and Dawn Group keep informing the people about their true worth.May be this time around we see some change. I have no affiliation with any party however I think in current circumstances IMRAN KHAN is the only hope if the people would vote him.
the time at which US is publishing these leaks is important to note, especially when PML-N is coming out openly against US interests in Pakistan
…and for some strange reason you thought that somebody did? Get real….
The reason we are the masters of conspiracy theories is because everybody lies in our country. We are so used to it that when other countries make statements we refuse to believe them because we think like us they are lying.
Under the garb of democracy it is in fact an aristocratic oligarchy – a group of people mostly coming through inheritance who together govern a country for their own interests. Therefore, I consider benevolent dictatorship better than corrupt democracy.
Shame on all our leaders including the Army. They are selling all of us and nobody is there to stop them.
You, the people of Pakistan deserve this becuase you were the ones who voted for these people.
imraan khan is the only good leader…make him prime minister if pakistani really want to bring a change.
To the Leaders of this Great Nation !!
Enough !! Ab Jag Raha hy Pakistan !!
since when did a human life become so cheap?
well thats a shocker, extremely disappointed about the army asking for drone coverage……
It is a crime against humanity to kill people indiscriminately without given a chance to be proven
guilty in a civil court. These militants should be arrested and tried in a court, not killed with drones. Since when did using drones become a way of serving justice. Why isn't the FREE judiciary doing anything about this? My question to human rights groups: why the silence?
Another example of a hopeless nation where people are so selfish they do not care who does what!
Democracy is a form of government where the majority is suppose to lead and represent the nation. Looking at the characteristics of majority of people in Pakistan there should not be any surprise regarding the rulers' character.
Indeed.
Well said Tariq bhai. It is the people who make the govt, it is the people who tolerate bigotry, it is the people who kill other people. Our people need to wake up soon.
Agreed
Absolutely. We need to change ourselves first. Future is worse than present. Take action now by changing our own deeds..
there is a saying in India the kind of king you have the same kind of people you will have…in democracy the kind of people you have the same kind of leaders you will have……….
And in 'Latest news' section of dawn, I just read news that PML-N' Punjab canceled six aid agreements with US.
And those agreements were mere MoUs, Memorandum of Understanding which is just an intent not an agreement.
They are fooling us public and we are falling for it.
The sad part is that the majority of Pakistanis will still go out and vote for PPP and PML-N in the next elections…
How many of the learned readers of Dawn would have ever voted
We should caste votes and take responsibility.
I vote every time (except once when the party I wanted to vote for protested by abstinence). And I agree with Hasa mahmood here. We don't have a right to complain if we continue to bring the same two tried and tested ones again and again. The re-election of Jumshaid Dusty is a recent case in point.
Agree with you. This democracy is full of flaws being exploited by culprits. I am not sure if the version of democracy in Pakistan should be debated or not… even after all these revelations.
A change will come soon. People are now aware of the hypocrisy of our ruling elite.
Total Biased article against PML-N. I don't know how dawn.com allow these types of blogs to be published on its website.
Biased article? So, what IS your take on Mr. Sharif's stand? Democracy can succeed only when people move from who they like in order to focus on what their leaders do.
PLEASE WAKE UP!!!
I just woke up…now what should I do
…Boss nothing is going to change..look at the option you have…Zardari – who is most corrupt , sharif brother – who are not Sharif, Army Chief – who is asking for Drone which is opposed by whole Pakistan. ISI – who did not know of OBL hide out for 5 yrs and they did not even know about how US enter and did 40 Min operation…So what should I do after wake up..NOTHING
Biased? Just statements of facts and comments thereon and you call it biased. Truth hurts. So called
Main democratic parties are taking people for ride, shame on them, they should all be booted out.
Mr Shahid, wake up and smell the coffee!
You still say its biased???? This is the reason why we are still not termed as NATION because whenever someone tries to speak truth the other comes up with doubts and conspiracies…
The article has targeted only one person so how we should say this is not biased. By the way from where the conspiracy theory come? The author should have mention what have been written on wikileaks about PPP govt as well to remain neutral.
The title of your blog sums it up perfectly. Indeed, our ruling elite, the politicians, are in most part, a bunch of liars! Wake up, people!!
USMAN! it is not a biased blog against Nawaz Sharif, but our another phase of disappointment from other political party after PPP.
We have already felt humiliation and embarrassment upon Raymond Davies, Selling Afia, contract of Shamsi airbase to third party, under hand permission of Drone attacks, Abbotabad operation, Osama hide out.
I was thinking that Sharif brothers were more acceptable for the people after the extreme failure of PPP current regime but Alas! Sharif were playing with people on the issue of Judiciary restoration.
Shyema did a good job to write this piece and now the Pakistanis could better understand why Leaders lied many times to the nation and passed all the information to outsider.
There is a huge camouflaged curtain between Pakistanis and their leaders. What they are doing, we don't know and we are dying, they don't care.
I agree completely. It is time to wake up and take the matters in your own hand. The nation must get out of the denial mode and face the realities. Only economically strong nation can command respect of the world. No all-weather friend – neither US nor China – can make you stand up. A borrowed strength will always undercut the sovereignity.