A_Gupta wrote:Suppiah wrote:Qadri was one of the post 71 generation...it is better to call them post-Zia generation...with them TSP's future is bright indeed..
2011 - 21 = 1990. Zia gone 1988. Really - to get permanent change in Pakistan this generation must be captured.
But, this generation has already been captured by a variety of Islamists, ranging from right wing politico-religious parties, sectarian tanzeems, to jihadi outfits. This is indeed the problem of Pakistan. Even if one were not a madrassah-educated bigot, the pernicious concepts have seeped into mainstream education as well. In circa 1960, Jama'at-e-Islami formally integrated extremism into mainstream politics by taking the help of Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt. Till then, the chief ideologue, Maududi, was not into violence and terrorism though he led the anti-Ahmedi riots of c. 1953. However, the Muslim Brotherhood had extraordinary experience in marrying violence and terror and politics and JI took their assistance. There has been no going back since then as the explosive mix of ideology and terrorism was inextricably linked. The violence by the Muslim League during pre-partition time was not based on deep Islamic ideology as the Muslim League's Islamism was shallow. Maududi, on the other hand, was one of the two thinker-pillars of Islamism in 20th century (the other being Sayyid Qutb of Egypt).
Even though, as many point out, JI does not win elections (from the beginning, Maududi was not too enamoured of contesting and winning democratic elections and this inertia persists), it can mass-mobilize emotions and sway public opinion. The GoP and the PA are influenced by statements from the JI headquarters.
It is therefore my opinion that even if Pakistan were to suddenly turn a normal country, it will still take three or four generations before the positive effects of that would be felt by us. However, there is no such possibility one sees in the horizon and OTOH we only see more Islamism of a purer variety overwhelming and overrunning the country.