Crippled children, frail and ill lady walking gingerly towards a army camp, thousands of decimated bodies scattered all around, still thousands trapped in no firing zone (NFZ), lakhs fleeing and escaping the intense fighting in northern Sri Lanka between LTTE and Lankan army speaks volumes about the human catastrophe unfolding in our neighbouring country. This is exodus of biblical proportion.
The pictures published in newspapers show completely devastated Tamil families walking through lagoons, slushy fields, even using ferries to reach govt controlled territory. There is a sense of disbelief and shock written all over the face of these people. They cant believe that LTTE with its leader who came existence with a promise to create a Tamil Elam is now sending its cadres to blow themselves up amid these fleeing civilians. Cornered LTTE is even using Tamil civilians as human shields and it is holding thousands as hostage as a last resort. They might even force the people caught for a mass suicide in the manner of Japanese at Saipan and Okinawa. More than anything else the myth that the island’s Tamils regard the LTTE as their sole protector and Elam as their only hope is shattered.
When streams and streams of Tamils are making this little epic journey it is completely baffling to see the pantomime being performed on the electoral platform in Tamil Nadhu. Politicians here continue to portray the LTTE as a brave liberation force and to lionize Prabhakaran, the man behind the assassination of a former prime minister of India, represents a betrayal not only of Indian national sentiment but also of the Sri Lankan Tamil cause.
Sri Lankan Tamil Tragedy burst into international scene as a result of the “Black July” program against the islands Tamils by Sinhala chauvinists. In 1983 Tamils were dispossessed, denied basic democratic rights by the Sinhala dominated oppressive Govt. discriminatory state policies favoured Sinhala majority, Sinhala was made the only official language thus rendering Tamils outsiders in their own country. Thus giving rise to Tamil Elam struggle.
Initially mild mannered leaders of the TULF started their struggle but Sri Lanka didn’t listen to the voice of alienated Tamils till the young Militants headed by Prabhakaran burst onto the scene. After nearly three decades of constant war with the Sri Lankan govt LTTE is on the verge of total wipe out. It has failed to achieve any of its objectives because of its shortsighted approach and adventurist attitude which has cost the Tamil ethnic cause dearly. Why LTTE which was at its peak in 2002 with almost north and east of Sri Lanka under its control, collapse like a pack of cards. Here are the reasons:
1) LTTE which came into reckoning for a noble cause suddenly became fascist and militaristic. Lot of the LTTE’s viciousness and destructiveness was directed not at the so called Sinhala enemies but within the Tamil political movement itself targeting and eliminating courageous and visionary leaders such as Appapillai Amirthalingam and Neelan Tiruchelvam of the TULF whose lives were entirely devoted to the Tamil ethnic cause. TELO,PLOTE and EPRLF-groups fighting for Tamil cause, was devoured by the LTTE in a quest to establish its hegemony and supremacy as the “sole representative” of the Tamil people. With a philosophy of ultra nationalism it became a pernicious force rather than a benevolent force. Just like the Nazi and imperial Japanese regime, LTTE started propagating the philosophy that “you are nothing, your nation is everything.” It forced the Tamils to send atleast one member of the family to be recruited in the LTTE force. They were encouraged to blow themselves up. A martyr cult was developed to inspire and mobilize support thus legitimizing the LTTE.
2) Path breaking Indo-Sri Lankan agreement which promised a genuine transition to a federal type of power sharing structure was undermined by LTTE. LTTE even assassinated the well-intentioned Rajiv Gandhi for this.
3) LTTE has sabotaged the peace process time and again. It had eliminated several high profile Tamil and Sinhala leaders who were sincerely committed to the peace process. Determined leaders such as Chandrika Kumaratunga And Ranil Wikramasinghe who were bent on bridging the ethnic gap met with total disregard from LTTE. LTTE has used the duration of peace process to rearm itself and strike back with vengeance so the call of leaders in India and elsewhere for a cease fire and peace talks is ridiculous.
4) In the move which defies logic Prabhakaran decided to assist Mahinda Rajapaksa and UPFA to win the presidential election. Assassination of foreign minister Kadirgamara was a preliminary step in this direction. LTTE asked Tamils to abstain from voting. Thus Rajapaksa scraped in as president. Prabhakaran relaxed thinking that he had removed a potential prime minister Wikramasinghe and a dangerous Tamil foe, not realizing that by doing so he had brought the Chauvinist UPFA regime to power.
5) LTTE is dominated by the cadre’s from the east, but when Col. Karuna- a influential LTTE military chief demanded for a fair representation of eastern Tamilians, Prabhakaran instead of patching up ordered for the elimination of Col.Karuna. Karuna escaped with 5000 of his best cadres. He now has made peace with Sri Lankan govt and has joined mainstream politics. This authoritarian attitude of Prabhakaran severely dented the strength of LTTE.
6) After series of assassination LTTE has been recognized as a terrorist outfit in over 30 countries, FBI has rated Tamil Tigers as “among the most dangerous and deadly extremists in the world whose ruthless tactics inspired terrorists networks worldwide, including Al Qaeda in Iraq.” Being branded as a terrorists outfit has severely hampered the financial assistance which LTTE used to get from abroad.
7) LTTE failed to capitalize on the sympathy shown by India and depended much on Tamil Diaspora around the world.
8) Last but no the least LTTE’s shift in its military tactics from being a guerilla outfit to a conventional military unit was a costly mistake. Only way to combat resurgent Lankan army was by guerilla tactics at which LTTE were masters.
9) Prabhakaran underestimated the determination, diplomatic acumen and efficiency of President Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and military general Fonseka. President was able to rally the international support and wade off the criticism from Tamil politicians in Tamil Nadhu.
What can be done to save our Tamil brothers in Sri Lanka from this pathetic condition is the question that we should ask. Firstly our politician should stop glorifying Prabhakaran (Confessions of escaped LTTE leaders like Dayamaster and civilians only shows how menacing LTTE has become) and concentrate on providing aid to Tamilians who are in the camps. Medicines, food and cloths are the things they need now. Secondly politicians in Tamil Nadhu should persuade the LTTE to release the civilians. Lastly India should play a vital role in making sure that Tamil population in the island will be re-integrated fully into the national mainstream, once the hostilities cease.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Pakistan in a Fix
Marriot bombings- Lal masjid incident in Islamabad, police personnel repeatedly blown up by suicide bombers, attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, abduction for ransom becoming rampant and every city looking to be under siege with barricaded streets, thousands of internally displaced people and Pakistani army sweating it out to gain control of Dir, Buner and Swat region from Taliban doesn’t augur well for Pakistan. Pakistan is in a quagmire and is heading towards theocracy. Pakistan, a nation of 175 million, struggles for its survival. Why did Pakistan reach this particular stage here are few reasons :
1. There is big transformation culturally and socially in Pakistan after partition. Pakistan has been constantly detaching itself from Indian subcontinent and has made a conscious effort to join Arabian Peninsula. Pakistan has completely forgotten that it was once a part of India. It has totally ignored very rich, tolerant, kinder, gentler version of Islam like Sufism and has embraced unyielding, stern version of Islam called wahabism.
2. Wahabism and Arabianisation of Pakistan was a result of Ronald Reagan’s consent to push for islam in order to defeat Russians in Afghanistan. With the approval of America, Pakistan put up a red carpet invitation for radical Islamists from all over Arabian countries to fight in Afghanistan. Then Pakistan used same extremists to infiltrate into Kashmir. These fighters didn’t go back to their motherland but started to propagate hard-line salafi and Deobandi beliefs. They bitterly opposed Barelvis, Shias and other Muslims further dividing already a divided country. Pakistani workers returning from arab countries also endorsed this view. This led to spread of a movement which frowned on every expression of joy and pleasurable past time. Music and movies were violently opposed. Thus, the real Pakistani culture was trampled to death.
3. Pakistani leadership year after year from Zia-ul-huq to Gilani haven’t had the courage to speak out against these cultural offensive or the atrocities committed in the name of culture. Their lone agenda has been to hold on to the power by inciting hatredness
4. Nexus between religious fundamentalists and Pakistani army is one more reason. After afghan and Russian war, Pak army had realized the power of Jihad as an instrument of foreign policy, and so the network grew from strength to strength. But post 9/11 the nexus went horribly wrong. Today the same Pakistani army is under attack from religious militants. Jihadists are blowing themselves up to kill Pak soldiers who were once more than their kinsmen. Never the less the army has not yet learnt the lesson and is still ambivalent in its relation with the Jihadists.
5. Indoctrination through curriculum. Over the years extremism has been breeding at a ferocious rate in schools. The schools with this kind of education as already produced a generation incapable of religious-cultural tolerance. Pakistan education system demands that Islam be understood as a complete code of life, and creates in the mind of school child a sense of siege and constant embattlement by stressing that Islam is under threat everywhere. In a fascist move an act was passed in parliament where all the government and private schools were required to follow this curriculum. Successive governments have refused to change the curriculum and have silently allowed young minds to be moulded by fanatics. Militant Jihad has become part of culture on college and university campuses. Armed groups have flourished, invited students for Jihad in Kashmir and Afghanistan, set up offices throughout the country and collected funds at Friday prayers and declared war without borders.
6. Madrassas have proved to be primary vehicle for Saudi-ising Pakistan’s education. Mullah’s of madrassas whose principle function had been to produce imams and muezzins for mosques and teaching children to read the quran have become main propaganda machines to spread the holy war. They spew venom and teach to hate all those who are not followers of Prophet Mohammed, rather than to love and live in harmony. There are these kinds of madrassas across the length and breadth of Pakistan.
7. Environment of poverty, deprivation, lack of justice, extreme difference of wealth have already added fuel to this uncontrollable raging fire. Islamists leaders like Sufi Mohammed, Batiullah Mehsud , Fazlullah have created their own cults and have seized control over the minds of innocent people who have looked up to these extremists with hope of a better life. Women’s life has become pathetic. Public hanging and flogging have become common. Education for women is forbidden. Nearly 200 schools for girls were blow up in Swat region itself by Fazlullah’s militants.
Unless Pakistani Govt ensures equal rights to all, especially right to education for women, better facilities for the deprived, the situation in the country will only get worse. Beheading and lynching will continue unless education system and madrassas teach the lesson of cultural-religious tolerance and acceptance. Above all this Pak army and US should make sure that Frankenstein created by themselves called Taliban must be laid to rest forever for a bright and prosperous Pakistan.
1. There is big transformation culturally and socially in Pakistan after partition. Pakistan has been constantly detaching itself from Indian subcontinent and has made a conscious effort to join Arabian Peninsula. Pakistan has completely forgotten that it was once a part of India. It has totally ignored very rich, tolerant, kinder, gentler version of Islam like Sufism and has embraced unyielding, stern version of Islam called wahabism.
2. Wahabism and Arabianisation of Pakistan was a result of Ronald Reagan’s consent to push for islam in order to defeat Russians in Afghanistan. With the approval of America, Pakistan put up a red carpet invitation for radical Islamists from all over Arabian countries to fight in Afghanistan. Then Pakistan used same extremists to infiltrate into Kashmir. These fighters didn’t go back to their motherland but started to propagate hard-line salafi and Deobandi beliefs. They bitterly opposed Barelvis, Shias and other Muslims further dividing already a divided country. Pakistani workers returning from arab countries also endorsed this view. This led to spread of a movement which frowned on every expression of joy and pleasurable past time. Music and movies were violently opposed. Thus, the real Pakistani culture was trampled to death.
3. Pakistani leadership year after year from Zia-ul-huq to Gilani haven’t had the courage to speak out against these cultural offensive or the atrocities committed in the name of culture. Their lone agenda has been to hold on to the power by inciting hatredness
4. Nexus between religious fundamentalists and Pakistani army is one more reason. After afghan and Russian war, Pak army had realized the power of Jihad as an instrument of foreign policy, and so the network grew from strength to strength. But post 9/11 the nexus went horribly wrong. Today the same Pakistani army is under attack from religious militants. Jihadists are blowing themselves up to kill Pak soldiers who were once more than their kinsmen. Never the less the army has not yet learnt the lesson and is still ambivalent in its relation with the Jihadists.
5. Indoctrination through curriculum. Over the years extremism has been breeding at a ferocious rate in schools. The schools with this kind of education as already produced a generation incapable of religious-cultural tolerance. Pakistan education system demands that Islam be understood as a complete code of life, and creates in the mind of school child a sense of siege and constant embattlement by stressing that Islam is under threat everywhere. In a fascist move an act was passed in parliament where all the government and private schools were required to follow this curriculum. Successive governments have refused to change the curriculum and have silently allowed young minds to be moulded by fanatics. Militant Jihad has become part of culture on college and university campuses. Armed groups have flourished, invited students for Jihad in Kashmir and Afghanistan, set up offices throughout the country and collected funds at Friday prayers and declared war without borders.
6. Madrassas have proved to be primary vehicle for Saudi-ising Pakistan’s education. Mullah’s of madrassas whose principle function had been to produce imams and muezzins for mosques and teaching children to read the quran have become main propaganda machines to spread the holy war. They spew venom and teach to hate all those who are not followers of Prophet Mohammed, rather than to love and live in harmony. There are these kinds of madrassas across the length and breadth of Pakistan.
7. Environment of poverty, deprivation, lack of justice, extreme difference of wealth have already added fuel to this uncontrollable raging fire. Islamists leaders like Sufi Mohammed, Batiullah Mehsud , Fazlullah have created their own cults and have seized control over the minds of innocent people who have looked up to these extremists with hope of a better life. Women’s life has become pathetic. Public hanging and flogging have become common. Education for women is forbidden. Nearly 200 schools for girls were blow up in Swat region itself by Fazlullah’s militants.
Unless Pakistani Govt ensures equal rights to all, especially right to education for women, better facilities for the deprived, the situation in the country will only get worse. Beheading and lynching will continue unless education system and madrassas teach the lesson of cultural-religious tolerance and acceptance. Above all this Pak army and US should make sure that Frankenstein created by themselves called Taliban must be laid to rest forever for a bright and prosperous Pakistan.
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