Great margin for error but no room for doubt!

A couple of months ago as US made the commando raid that eventually netted bin laden , I was very sure that the event will make   Pakistan's rulers and the people both sit up and take notice.  This was based on my discussions with my Pakistani friends.  Some how I was  convinced  that such broad minded, educated and balanced group of people will definitely guide their nation towards a course correction.  Now it looks like I certainly keep   wrong company! Such people do not matter in Pakistan.

 Immediately after that event repeated doses of an extremely shrill  rhetoric was deployed from the TV studios which  guided public discourse   towards  illegality of  the American action and towards casting doubts over Osama's presence  in Pakistan itself. There being some merit in both arguments; still one could be excused to think that people who have the power  to change and who are pulling  all the strings in Pakistan might have realized that they have finally been found out !  Whatever one may say for public consumption, in private  even a half wit would have tried to go straight in order to avoid being punished. In normal course albeit.  But that is forgetting it is Pakistan we are talking about.

Army is the real ruler of  Pakistan and that old joke about it being the only army that has a country does not feel like a joke any more. Are they idiots ? Are they reckless ? Are they both? The short answer is no ! They are actually pretty smart  people. Although it does not take a lot but anyone who can continue to pull wool over willing American eyes for so  long and get paid by them to do  it as a bonus , has to be sharp. Lot of commentators discuss this aspect  but most of them  focus on what;  not on why?

 

It is kind of easy to say Pakistan is paranoid about India and is trying to avoid getting caught in a pincer from both east and west.  The scenario is pretty much possible and their fears are not completely unfounded. This is one of the key reasons for their strategic misadventures. However  all  concerns are about the methods they have convinced themselves will yield the desired result. Comparatively speaking India is already caught in a pincer ; between a very hostile Pakistan and a super power adversary, China. Why are India's policies looked upon differently by the world than Pakistan's? They themselves are asking this question but unfortunately do not find the answer to their liking. 

Even now the policy makers are not willing to take on board the fact that their stealth is exposed. More than anyone else Pakistan should realize that  similar to themselves, America is more of a corporation that has got a nation. US inc. will not let go of Afghanistan like they did twenty years ago. They have too much invested in it now. Taliban and ISI proxies will have a tough time repeating their old success. That ,if it happens would actually be catastrophic for Pakistan;   sinking them far deeper in trouble.  In such a situation the corporation will wrest control by force and Pakistan will be right in the middle of that maelstrom.  And I do not see any appreciation of the fact this is not just a bipolar world any more. There are several other forces in the picture and they are not going to be  pushovers  either. Just banking on nuclear blackmail to get your way through is fraught with huge dangers ; not only to the nuclear deterrent but to the entire nation itself. One can sense Pakistani army taking over direct control of day to day policies and messing with the civilian oversight again. Specially the way Husain  Haqqani has been eased out of Washington D.C.. At the same time  Pakistan's other ambassadors  are being chopped and changed in droves as we speak.  And the way zardari has suddenly developed heart trouble and fled the country ostensibly for treatment  gives  a lot of weight to the theory that Pakistan army  has staged a soft coup while keeping a  civilian facade.

Without taking anything away from the 26 odd  servicemen who got killed in the recent Nato attack, one must ask why Pakistan has not shown such a strong reaction when several times more civilians were the victims ? The real truth may never be known but the Nato story that those gunships fired in support of their ground troops who were coming under fire from or close to Pakistan army posts , is very plausible. Specially to an Indian ear .  Providing covering fire to retreating or infiltrating Islamic terrorist  bands is an old and well worn trick that Pakistani army posts have been using  in Kashmir sector for ever and ever. It comes as no surprise that they were using it in the west too.


On the other hand their contention that NATO attacked these post without  a good reason may also have a grain of  truth in it. However if that was the case ,Pakistan's reactions are bewildering to say the least! If this was a warning shot across their bows by NATO; why  have they created such intense war hysteria  among their populace ? What is it they are guilty of?  What are they hiding from their own population?  Blocking supply routes gives them practically zero leverage. Already over 60% of NATO supplies are routed through air or  "northern routes", not Pakistan. NATO has been  quitely preparing for this day for most of   last year or so. Reportedly they have six months supplies in hand. They are not breaking any sweat! Retaking Shamsi airbase may put some temporary breaks on drones but one shudders to think what other alternatives Nato has access to. Long range stealth bombers; missiles.....,it can soon turn into Pakistan's worst  nightmare!  Why is it hard to understand that a negotiated, peaceful  and independent Afghanistan is in everyone's best interests.

Of all the stupid things one could have done the worst was boycotting Bonn! They went ahead and did it too!  If there was  any proof needed  for  the oft  repeated Afghan refrain that Pakistan is the biggest obstacle in achieving peace; you have given them proof.- Idiots ! They are rubbing it in at Bonn. There ! didn't we  say so ?


Ironically Pakistani Army is making these  rank bad  decisions  for the love of their country. Their policies have continuously backfired time and again from kashmir to kargil ;even when faced with a comparatively weaker adversary -India. And now they have an entirely different beast to counter! Only time can tell what kind of misery will they bring upon the hapless people of Pakistan this time round. Their policies have great margin for error which they compound by having no room for any doubt!

 

The Afghan maze !

 

Picture by : Yoshiaki Nagashima 

One of the most poignant short story; "kabuliwala"; about an Afghan is written by the nobel laureate  Tagore. The story of a little girl and an itinerant  almond seller from Kabul touches your heart any time you read it. The short story was later adapted for a movie. My eyes water immediately I hear a song from this movie;"Ay mere pyre watan....". "My dear lovely nation...". is simply the best patriotic song I have ever heard .  

Sadly the lovely nation of the Kabuli wala is in a bad shape. Without going into too much of its history the fact is that Afghanistan is not an ancient nation. It has been a conglomerate of different tribes for most of its history. The tribal alliances and the intra - tribe relations are an important part of governance of this region.  Add foreign invasion and foreign rule into the mix and we have what we have here; a diverse nation with no central authority.  It does not make things any easy that there are several language groups. Mainly Farsi and its dialects and Pashto and its dialects. Historically these language groups have been at  the opposite ends of the political divide for  several hundred  years.

Even in the best  of times whole of Afghanistan was not governable, although it must be said that during the Monarch Amanullah's and his dynasty's time and even later during Daud's time, who wrested power from the dynasty, things were relatively settled. A lot of social reforms and infusion of modern ideas took place. Although it is unthinkable today, it was not unusual on the streets of Kabul  to find women dressed in a western style skirt in late 1960's. The down slide for Afghanistan started on the fateful day Sardar Muhammad Daud destabilized the monarchy and his reign uncorked a can of worms of political anarchy. 

Nur Muhammed Taraki and his group, were communist  minded; when they staged a coup against Daud to gain power. That rang a lot of warning bells in Washington. It was another nail in the Afghan coffin. Taraki's party governed on the soviet model . It curtailed civil liberties and put a number of restrictions on overtly Islamic  way of life. Afghans did not like it a lot.  This was the era of cold war and USSR was supporting the communist Government in kabul. Inevitably "Rambo", had to intervene. The entry of USA was another major setback to Afghanistan, but no one cared about Afghans. USA needed to put one across USSR  so they created a monster and gave it an Islamic name. ISI of pakistan became the mid wife and  its wet nurse and we had " mujahideen". " Freedom fighters"!!! ISI had its own interests in mind and afghans were so expendable, it was a cake walk. Especially with easily available unlimited supply of Saudi money.

Sadly  for  Afghanistan they won !  Portents were clear when Nazibullah's beaten and broken body was hung from a lamp post as the first official act of the freedom fighters. Any way the new power structure did not last long and a civil war ensued  .  Pitting  Northern Alliance on one side Millions of refugees and hundreds of thousands  dead later ; "Taliban "; strode to power in 1996. A bunch of raving , rabid lunatics espousing ruthless;  extremist;  Wahhabi ideology  that had no room for any accommodation. It was their way or death! They brought untold miseries to hapless afghans and really really pushed them back into middle ages as the twenty first century dawned .Their major service to Afghanistan was the destruction of Bamiyan Buddha's. They all were fit to be shot against  a wall for just that act alone but more was to come. One  word for it,  9/11.

World would not have cared otherwise and least of all USA. They were happy to let Taliban and their puppet masters in ISI run the show when Taliban over played their hand. Another set of miseries got unleashed on the Afghans. On one hand they have USA sitting in their homes and on the other hand Taliban is no where close to being decimated. It has now shaped itself into many headed dragon with this name and that name. But surly the dragon has grown big and It is hiding in plain sight  right across the border in Pakistan. 

Where does it leave the Afghans? As the USA finally prepares to leave it is clear that the present Karjai government will not be able to withstand the whirlwind that is brewing. No amount of military training India might provide ; it will be inadequate to stem the tide. Short of sending Indian boots on the ground it can not be stopped and there is very slim chance of that happening. What is worse; no amount of  US coaxing will change  Pakistan's afghan policy. It is based on supporting Taliban and Al Quaida  and their proxies getting back in power in Kabul. Again  nothing short of  USA directly taking out  military targets inside of Pakistan will begin to show any impact . And even then it may be too little too late ! Any way there is a very remote chance of that happening.

A bloody  intra - afghan power struggle is more likely to happen. The present Government will fight for survival with some Indian training and  some US weaponry . It will not be enough. Northern Alliance will try to save their traditional citadels. I do not see them as saviours  of Kabul . I believe they will be stretched unless US and  other western powers step in with equipment and funds. But hey ! that is another problem . Funds is exactly what they do not have! In the short run I feel Pakistan will have its way. A large part of Afghanistan will fall back in the hands of ISI proxies.  A overwhelmingly Sunni, wahabi, pathan , extremist ;anti west ;anti India, anti Russia and  anti everything other that themselves and their kind kind of government will rule Kabul again.  Sadly I can not see Afghans coming together in some kind of positive political movement that will keep away Taliban.

And with that will begin the final end game in Afghanistan.  I feel that  in this final round , thanks  to their army, Pakistan will be suckered in so deeply and inextricably  in the quagmire that it will impossible to come out even if they want it. A lot of pieces will fly about. Unlike last time there are a lot more active players in the game this time .  Apart from original US and Russia ; covert and overt roles of Iran and India have  expanded hugely . It will be fool hardy to dismiss this new development. EU and UK  will continue as serious elements of the jigsaw. And then there is China. The biggest chess player of all time. What is quite amazing to me that most of them will find themselves ranged on one side albeit for their own interests. The trick will be not to get caught on the other side. The trouble for Afghans is far from over.  Dust will take a little while to settle. But in the end It has to be Afghans who will have to bear the responsibility of  forging a stable  representative political system. Only they can make the final move.

Project Tiger!

India holds over half the world's tiger population. According to the latest tiger census report released on March 28, 2011 by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the current tiger population estimated is 1,706. Not many years ago this number was above 5000. That  dwindled alarmingly to around low 1300's . Some focused preservation of the tiger habitat and good protection strategies in recent times have ensured this new encouraging number. It is an achievement of sorts.

However the fact remains that overall more tigers are dying than are being born.  And now Tiger Pataudi is dead too! The fact that he captained India  in old times is not important in my opinion. The  fact that he played that spoiled brat of a game - cricket is of lesser importance. He did not earn his nick name because he was born with a silver spoon in nobility and  managed to sweep a reigning queen of the silver screen, off her feet. In fact some of those facts and events that followed them are a cross mark against him. Anyway they are not of any consequence. They did not make him a tiger.

What made him a tiger was the fact that he followed his dreams. Lot of us do. We do not all become tigers. He followed his when he had no eyes to see those dreams much less follow them. I realized this the other day while playing street cricket with a tennis ball. It was so difficult to follow a circle about 3" diameter  with two eyes much less hit it with any success on a regular basis. Even when it was thrown at me by a mere child. Tiger  faced the fastest bowlers of his time unmindful of his handicap. He Overcame his partial blindness in one eye. He changed his stance;he changed his style; he curbed his strokes ; he did everything  but  he played. Only  because he wanted to play and it did not matter if he had only one good eye where even two sharp young eyes are not enough. 

 Last time I saw him was at opening of an exhibition in Delhi. He  quietly studied the  canvases on show; made a couple of very informed comments and generally behaved in a most graceful manner . No fuss , no nawabi tantrums and no throwing his weight around.
There is a lesson in his life for the rest of us. There are obstacles galore and life invariably throws curved balls at us . When life hands us a lemon we must bravely make lemon juice   and try to be a tiger.

Lage Raho Anna Bhai!

"Gandhigiri" means to use non violent means to express dissent, get your point across and  have your demands met. It is a pun on Gundagiri which means rowdyism! At times there is a very thin line that separates the two. Seems like it is a summer of discontent - worldwide. People everywhere are agitating sometimes using guns as in Libya or using  Facebook to organize looting parties as in England . In India people are asking to be heard by going hungry and skipping a meal! This is meant to shame the government already inundated with countless fiscal scams and worst kind of malfeasance . At the time of writing no government including  the Indian one was about to give in. 

Why is change for the better so hard to make? My theory is that  it is because we always look for a Messiah to come deliver us. Both collectively as a society as well as in our individual capacity. We need  Jesus to pay for "our" sins so we are absolved. We need Muhhamed to intercede for "our" behalf and soon as we read the kalma our place in heaven is guaranteed . We need Gandhi to get "our" freedom and now we do not need to do anything to preserve it.  Messiah have  taken care of it. We hide behind them and refuse to take responsibility . Always hankering for one Messiah after another. If we do not find one, we create one. As long as we can avoid taking charge! Until we start bearing our own crosses things won't change.

Human society probably can never be entirely free of corruption . Greed for power and money is a human  weakness. That is why governments, laws and systems of governance were invented. Biggest tragedy is that those nations which can least afford it are beset by endemic corruption. Where limited resources and poor development requires that every last available  penny is used for public good; sees the severest form of systematic institutionalized loot of public funds. Several of African nations easily come to mind. Lots of  Latin American and Asian one's too. Pakistan is reportedly led by a "Mr. Ten Percent", meaning one tenth of all resources are pocketed by him. India of course is miles ahead  and seemingly her government is also a "Ten Percent" government. In their case ten percent is used for  the public . Only ninety is siphoned off!

We have known it all along. We have experienced it everyday in our daily lives.  Each one of us has seen this monster  grow  many times faster than  the economy ; eat away at progress ; corrode governance; rot our society  and widen the gap between haves and have not's. We have even participated in this madness by paying bribes here and there and even accepting them here and there.  Some times brazenly , some times in the garb of "Diwali sweets". Have we done anything to arrest this slide? Well we were waiting for a Messiah to come deliver us!

Man Mohan Singh is an honest man ! He will change the face of India! .....I was one of those fools who believed in it. We made him an icon of honesty . Yes he will do it  and we kept our eyes closed! Lo & behold ! He takes the prize for heading  without argument the most corrupt government in India's recorded history.  This messiah failed too. Even foreign invaders who made us slaves and exploited India  were not half as bad. Some of them made Taj Mahal . Something beautiful and substantial to show for our ancestor's toil and their tax money. Some of those foreign rulers laid railways across the length and breadth of the nation. Iron railway bridge over river Yamuna in Dehi is still standing after hundred odd years. Compare to what we know  happened when this government made Asian Games village! And who can forget the pedestrian bridge in front of Nehru Stadium which collapsed even before a single person could use it. India was shamed in front of the world but these thick skinned people carried on as if nothing  happened.

We did not do anything  as we were waiting for a Messiah. In came Baba Ramdev. We all thought he will do it .Long story short government did succeeded in throwing a lot of mud at him and cane charged him ..... so people lost interest. And now we have Anna. Will he do it ? Mind you he has made the government blink but  only because people  came on the streets. People took charge. Once his fast for fifteen days ends what  will happen next ? Government is pretty sure public fatigue will set in by then and everything will be as it was. They are counting on our lethargy , disinterest and passivity.People will not disappoint them ! They know election is far away  and by that time they will pull some other gimmick to come through again.  Even if there is a short fall in seats they can throw money at it. Afterall that's why 2G and CWG scams took place.  To create an election fund!

We can all say "Lage raho Anna Bhai. Carry on Anna! It is up to you . You are our Messiah". And that will be a strategic mistake  once again. Anna will fail if we do not take charge and carry this forward till the end. As long as it takes. Or else wait for Godot. Forever.

End of Portrait.

 'Reflection', By Lucien freud ,1985   56x51 cm ; oil on canvas

Camera and the photographic process came into vogue early in the nineteenth century and with it came the belief that the art of portrait will die soon. It of course did not happen. since artists used portrait as a way of  creative expression. Not as a way to represent likeness.

Lucien freud (Yes,  he is related to Sigmund !) a foremost exponent of the portrait said about a portrait artist  ,"And, since the model he faithfully copies is not going to be hung up next to the picture, since the picture is going to be there on its own, it is of no interest whether it is an accurate copy of the model."  and also

 "I paint people, not because of what they are like, not exactly in spite of what they are like, but how they happen to be." 

 Even a cursory examination of his body of work will prove how successful he was in doing exactly that. His success in capturing the very essence of his models, depicting the core of their personality on a canvas is without compare. He translated a model; his feelings and their circumstances  into paint. As he said,"The aura given out by a person or object is as much a part of them as their flesh."

As is the wont of most artists ,his personal life was quite eventful . It is his figurative work that he persisted with despite opposition of critics and trends ;  that makes him a leading artist of our time and among of the greats ever. His work  became hugely popular among public during his own life time and that is literally a silver lining . In May 2008, his 1995 picture Benefits Supervisor Sleeping was sold at Christie's in New York for $33.6 million, a record for a work by a living artist.

Well the artist last week passed on  to the great beyond . In the summer of 2002 during a retrospective his work considered to be among ten most popular shows ever; he jokingly told a friend that he would also like to go and see if all the things he has read about his work are actually true!

Actually they are and it was a life well spent.

 

Not an Intelligence failure!

I have no pretensions of being a security expert, yet the last time Mumbai was assaulted  I could clearly see the writing on the wall.And this blog is a witness to the fact that I predicted more attacks.  http://byteandbark.blogspot.com/2009/11/fighting-with-candles.html

Well I am no Nostradamus. I based my predictions entirely on how we handled that episode and what we did afterwards. It did not need any special intelligence on my part  to figure out that if anyone is fooling anyone it is us fooling ourselves. We took out candle light processions and Shahrukh Khan pontificated  from India gate .Regurgitated some corny dialogues from a movie , taught us  difference between mullah's islam and allah's islam.... and everyone went home afterwards feeling happy. This was the total sum of our response. Shame on us ! Did we expect terrorists and their masters to be afraid of our lit candles; or shake in their boots with fear as SRK mouthed his meaningless sentence? I am sure they were shaking but with mirth , laughter and joy at their success. 9 of them and 166 of ours with 1 left costing us millions to keep him alive.

Terrorism is a low investment high profits business. You  stop them by taking them out of business, period !Not by taking out your candles. Are you serious! And as 13th July has proved you have not stopped them. Not even a little bit . Unless you make them pay a heavy price for their dare why on earth would they stop this profitable business? Why? This is apparent to even a non professional average Joe  such as myself . It is amazing that our Home minister is not so clear, although I have to agree with him on one thing. It is not an intelligence failure! Honestly it is not; because we have not even begin to use our intelligence in the first place. It is a complete absence of brains! The alternative is worse.  It is either that or our government does not care as long as they have their vote banks .Choose for yourself but please for God's sake do not say " we will not tolerate terrorism any more"! It is a lie ,because you do. And show some respect to all those who have perished in the recent carnage. Do not take part in meaningless candle light vigils and do not talk about the "spirit of Mumbai". It is an affront to the memory of all those who needlessly lost their lives .It  just means  that you do not care and would like to get on with your lives.

If you want to show support please take responsibility for our collective response and the response of our government. They have failed us because we have let them. Make sure this time round their response is adequate ; immediate; and measurable. Hold them and ourselves accountable or be prepared for more .

Death of a Quarter!

During my  school days my mother always packed a lunch for me. It was extremely rare for me to bring any money and buy my lunch like a lot of other kids used to. Primarily because my mom believed that outside food is not healthy and more importantly there was not a lot of spare cash in the house. On the rare occasion I got any money instead of  a home packed lunch , it was around 5  Paisa; 1/20 of a Rupee. It was sufficient . To see and hold a quarter Rupee coin was a  rare curiosity and a very exciting thing for me. In such a scenario one of my classmates used to bring a quarter every day  to splurge during lunch break and  once in a while he would bring two quarters. On that day the generous soul that he was would warn a couple of us in advance of the party we can expect . It would invariably fall on my shoulders to buy stuff for one quarter and he would buy with the other quarter for 3 or 4 kids to gorge on junk food. I would eat my home food as well as all of that junk  ! Did not want folks at home to know about this. As I  spent someone else's money I always wondered how nice it would be if that quarter became entirely mine to do as I please and not just as a designated purchase officer. Quarter coin  was the stuff my childhood dreams were made of!

Well, I realized my dream as time passed  on and eventually I  had access to a quarter of my own . In fact  I had  many quarters to do as I please. But by then it had lost some of its purchasing power. You could still buy a  big safety match box or two cadbury's chocolate eclairs; a cup of cardamom tea or a good quality filter cigarette or even a three pack condom. It was money that could buy you a big bunch of green coriander. Enough to flavour your curries for a week. It would buy  two banana's or a  heavenly mango. In winter you could buy a medium sized guava,cut to your satisfaction  sprinkled with black pepper and rock salt or a  small bag of toasted peanuts or a "barbequed on coal fire" sweet potato which happens to be the best thing ever in this world. For me at least! A quarter was still money! And yesterday that coin of my dreams died ! It was withdrawn from circulation. It is no more a legal tender.  It became Just a piece of inert metal. Adios , my dream! You gave me a  goal,a lot of hope and happiness. Go now and  rest in Peace ! God bless you!


You have to wake up from your dreams in the end! There does not seem to be any other option. Even the place I live in currently , only use of a Quarter coin is as a token to release the shopping cart outside the grocery store. It is not unusual to find a cart  with the coin in it already . People no longer bother to take it back since You can't buy anything with it. Even in the dollar store ! Everything is a dollar or more; obviously.  It is just a reflection of life. Our dreams are like that quarter. Far from reach in the beginning. And eventually when we reach it we find that the "quarter" has lost value dramatically. Sometimes it is worthless.


No matter how many kind of quarters die on you. Quarters are what dreams are made of. The trick is to never stop dreaming. There are other unreachable coins out there. You never know how quickly they will come within grasp. It maybe sooner than in the past before they turn impotent or die.And boy, just like my school days you will be able to gorge to your hearts content! Hopefully along with everyone dear to you.

Parliamentary Dictatorship!

 "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely"! There is a reason why a regular change of governments is a good thing in a democracy . One group in power term after term  starts abusing power to preserve its power. Twenty sixth amendment to US constitution bars any one individual to be elected to the office of  the president more than twice. History has shown that it was  pretty good thinking by Hoover commission. Imagine what could have happened if  Junior Bush had the opportunity to come back a third time in 2009 ! Although his replacement has not covered himself with a lot of glory, but that is another matter.

I was reminded of all this the other day when in a mid night swoop thousands of sleeping citizens were tear gassed and baton charged in Delhi.They were a threat to peace according to Chidambaram!! 

Corruption is a way of life in India. Let us face it. Some of the biggest corrupt individuals are the ones holding the levers of power. Ramdev did not embezzle public money in the garb of conducting Asian games; Suresh Kalmadi did. He did not defraud public exchequer by doling out spectrum  way below market price in exchange for bribes; Raja did. Both are parliamentarians and members of the ruling government .This story can go on and on.

So Ramdev's  financial worth is not an issue. Issue is lack of probity in people who govern. If Ramdev is heading an agitation to stop graft and black money from eating into the vitals of the society. Why is that an issue with the government . If they have nothing to hide that is ! Just because baba Ramdev is a financial success he does not lose his right as a citizen to object to graft or lead a campaign against corruption.

The other argument that he is  challenging the supremacy of the Parliament is not even worth consigning to dustbin. A democracy is about people, not about  their MP's and it definitely is not for the benefit of wayward rulers. There is nothing like US  twenty sixth amendment in the Indian constitution. People themselves will have to make amends while voting next time.

Deep inside Pakistan ......

 

" Na juhkne wale hain , na dabne wale hain; Hum pakistan ki izzat aur azmat ke rakhwale hain".  Thus goes a famous military song of the Pakistan army.". " We will not bend and we will not buckle; because we are the guardians of Pakistan's dignity & sovereignty," it says. It did not ring true on that day in Dacca and it certainly did not sound right on that day in Abbottabad. Every nation has an army but  it is only the  Pakistan army that has a nation. Virtually by its collective throat!

In this age of skepticism , where belief and trust are getting rarer with each passing day , most do not believe everything dished out by Obama about Osama. But if you are among those that believe that Osama was not  in that safe house in Abbottabad; you may as well stop reading now! This piece assumes he was.

 This is an embarrassing time  for the people of Pakistan. They are being ridiculed; insulted; called deceptive , cheats and the epicenter of terrorism. The fact that an infamous terrorist chief was found living comfortably and running his bombing business right from the safety of a Pakistani town crawling with intelligence and military personnel; does not look too good!  He was living  right within a handshaking distance from Pakistan Military Academy while Pakistan army was collecting a huge service fee . Ostensibly to catch him. So whichever way you slice it and whatever spin you put on it; Pakistan is complicit or inefficient. Combine this with other known cases where Army has turned a blind eye or even encouraged  several other bin ladens in their midst; they look more crooked than complicit or inefficient. Daud Ibrahim's Clifton , Karachi address is known to every child except the super sleuths of ISI. His daughter marries the son of Pakistan Ex Cricket captain Miandad. Yet ISI can not find any trace of him. Azhar masud a convicted terrorist is roaming free; Hafiz syed is encouraged to run terrorists into India with active help from army. Mullah Omar and Ayman Al Jawahri are also believed to be in Pakistan. How should any one give Pakistan  benefit of doubt?

If all these accusations make Pakistani's angry , they should be. They should be very very angry indeed. But only at themselves! How did they reach such a bad place? Ten years after they joined the war on terror , they are being asked again, " are you with us or against us?" Not again for God's sake! This is high time that people of Pakistan took  stock of the situation and evaluate the central role their army has had in bringing them this dishonour,and loss of national pride. Pakistan army is not a sacred cow and asking questions of them in not treason. If it is not done by people themselves , an outside force will put the beast down. That I am certain will not be exactly pleasant. Political class in Pakistan is still intent on creating a verbal smoke screen and obfuscating the issue. Maybe they are afraid.  Makes sense in a country where Political murder has been perfected to the level of fine art ; it is better to be economical with truth.  After all who wants to be another Benazir ?

Let us dial back & see how this journey commenced. Soon as Pakistan came into being in 1947 its army took on a three times bigger India over Kashmir by sending irregulars and soldiers in civvies . This stratagem became  a recurring theme in coming years. Generals completely miscalculated Indian response and worse still they  over depended on getting the support among Kashmir Muslims. Suffice it to say that lack of  local support with swift Indian counter ensured a failure.  Pakistan could not win Kashmir however  they won a permanent enemy  on the eastern borders of Pakistan. Without even securing strategic  water sources. The  only reason Pakistan wants Kashmir in the  first place. Result was a failed  adventure.

Larger adversary thus created proved a boon to the army,  which continued to demand bigger and bigger share of national budget to deal with it. Only to the detriment of people's interests. As if this pressure was not enough they went on first to stage a coup and give themselves unbridled power  to sign their own checks . Then believing in their own propaganda of "great Muslim warrior' vs. "weak Hindu Bania"; launched operation Gibraltar. Yet another misadventure. Generals boasting to the nation that they will be sipping evening tea in Delhi soon. Only a few days into battle and  the boast deflated. They had to deploy entire Pakistan forces in defensive formations, scampering  to save ..... Lahore!  Everything except one measly ill equipped division that was left to defend East Pakistan. It is another matter That India did not take advantage of this in 1965. They did so in 1971. When these great generals made the same mistakes and some new blunders. Starting with raping,  killing and looting their own citizens and ending by shamelessly surrendering 90,000 troops to the adversary. 

A Bangladeshi friend commented the other day that Pakistan army wins nothing except when they fight their own people. Very harsh but worth pondering. 1971 was a watershed year for Pakistan. The "Theory of Pakistan"  had finally died an ignominious death at Dacca.  Pakistan had experimented with war including civil and guerrilla; democracy ; dictatorship everything was tried . They ended with half of what they originally started out with. Something was wrong somewhere. From the ashes of Jinnah's Pakistan a new Progressive Pakistan that believed in federalism, democracy and rule of law could have been created.  It was not to be . The opportunity to regenerate was completely missed . Instead this new Pakistan remained as confrontational and morphed into  what can only charitably be called a security state. Paranoid about India; they declared," we'll eat grass but make the bomb". So they proceeded to do exactly that even if the road they took was  very slippery and grass was meant for  the public to eat not  for the Generals. They had their usual biryani and kababs with chota peg ! Later in Zia ul haq's time  chota  peg went underground but designer suits and corner plots took centre stage.

All nuclear programmes are clandestine as was Pakistan's. However it was the only country running an underground nuclear walmart. A.Q.Khan , favorite son of the army and revered father of the Islamic bomb got caught with his pants down stealing and then selling fissile material and nuclear tech. Even then the matter was hushed up by Pakistan denying any official knowledge of his illegal activities.  White lies of course. But even if it was true question is  who  in the God's name has charge in Pakistan? How can the world trust that terrorists will not get a hold of some dirty bomb?

Why does the pakistani security establishment mount  such risk prone adventures? Let us look at some theories they have. "Kashmir", a complete thesis can be written on it. However suffice it to say that army has milked it at will. It is an  "Islamic" issue. It is the" Life line" ( shah rug) of Pakistan. It is an issue of " in alienable right of self determination". It is "unfinished business" of Partition and it is a "freedom  struggle". Army needs your money ; army needs your lives; army needs the nation to stop using their minds as to why. Thank you!  Even after making the entire defence doctrine; planning and resource allocation a hostage  to this one issue the army has not got Kashmir. Not yet ; but it has managed to give ammunition for independence of Baluchistan. As if Bangladesh was not enough. How can you tell a baluch to honour the agreement signed by his Khans and Sardars when you want a  Kashmiri to ignore his King's agreement with India ? Baluch argument for leaving Pakistan is a mirror image of Pakistan's argument for Kashmir. Arguing that Baluch people's opinion was not sought before their future was hocked to Pakistan; Just like kashmiri people had no say in Maharaja's decision . Of course using helicopter gunships on them and ruthlessly murdering Baluch leaders has not endeared Pakistan army to them.  However Baluch people thank Pakistan army for giving constant sustenance to their argument for secession. It is quite lucky that Army supported  Khalistan moment  fizzled out. Had Pakistan army succeeded in that venture; Lahore would today have been the capital of Khalistan.

Other big theory that stems from these ideas is " Strategic depth".  So Pakistan is not wide enough for the army which needs room to retreat on its east west axis. Danger lies in the east and sadly Afghanistan is in the way on the west .So let's go grab it. Or at least have someone in control there that will allow us to come and go  as we please! Not only is this theory  a defeatist theory that supposes India will overrun Pakistan forces in war and they will use the afghan space to retreat; regroup and counter attack  India with their strategic assets( nuclear!), it has many other holes in it. Hello! if Pakistan is already over run ; what are you saving now? And why do you think that this new territory will escape reprisals by the invading force specially when you launch your "strategic assets" from it ? When this new territory comes under attack , where will they go on next? Uzbekistan !!! What are they planning -  WW III ? Don't you think a better theory is to work at lowering tensions that eliminates the need for going to  war in the first place? At best it is a "mad" theory. Mutually assured destruction! So far in the last twenty years obsession with creating influence and space in Afghanistan has seen the rise of unbridled violent gun culture; wide spread drug menace and daily occurrence  of  suicide bombings in Pakistan. They of course have been successful in creating  a lot of influence with "Taliban". We'll check how that has panned out for the people of Pakistan.

Creation of different  terrorist strategic assets has so far not helped Pakistan's national interests. In a pitched battle they are  of no use and as seen countless times in encounters with security forces in Kashmir; Kargil hiil tops  and later on during Mumbai attacks. They have not made India  slow down a bit. It is still one of the fastest growing economies. It is still rated way way above Pakistan. Its political stature continues to grow and it is still  breathing down Pakistani necks. India continues to be  what pakistani nightmares are made of!  I wonder if Pakistan Army has  heard , "if you can not lick them join them". After sixty years of failed armed misadventures, may be it is time for a change in tactics? In kargil misadventure Pakistani P.M.  had to go plead forgiveness and beg for US intervention. He had to agree on complete withdrawal and eat a lot of crow to save a full scale invasion on the eastern front. Pakistan Army had sold the nation short but more was yet to come. Army eventually stuck another blow at the nation - a coup. All to save its generals from a court martial. Attack on Mumbai has permanently sealed Pakistan's image as the epicenter of terror and a state sponsor of terrorism. At the time of writing the chief of ISI was wanted for murder in an American court of law ! it would be comical if it was not so bizarre! This official sanction of terror as a state policy has made the entire Pakistani territory a fertile nursery & a safe sanctuary for  terror groups. It has deformed the Pakistani society to such an extent that it  is now polarized between Muslim vs. pure Muslim vs. purer Muslim. Each sect and faction vying to outdo the other in virulence and violence. There are official terrorists, there are unofficial terrorist and there are state sponsored terrorists. No one knows who is controlling whom. Praying congregations in mosques are routinely bombed to oblivion and rabidly fanatic religious killers become a celebrity.  They are feted and garlanded by lawyers inside a court of law. Forget about  what the world thinks; how proud should a Pakistani feel on this count?

America choose Pakistan over India decades ago for very long term political , economic, geographic and strategic reasons. Pakistan has to thank the army for it too! "Friends not, masters" ! Ooops !  "Friends,  not masters" ! Some of those reasons are no longer valid but some others have assumed a greater importance.  They have invested sixty years and billions of dollars on Pakistan. No matter what happens to Pakistani people and Pakistani nation  or whatever the composition of its government ; they are there to stay. They will  want to exact a return on their investment.  It is a marriage for life brokered by  the Pakistan army . Saying "Go amreeka Go" will not make them go. The choice for Pakistan is to be together  with them in a hug or in a handcuff! Operation Geronimo proves it. Like 1971 Pakistan is again on the verge of making history or not.  It is again a watershed year.  It is true that most opportunities come disguised as challenges. So people of Pakistan, face the truth.  This is one of those times. Blaming all your troubles on CIA; Zionist forces and RAW will lead you  to miss this opportunity to change your fate . Someone will  again beg billions of alms in your name ;  hock your future; misuse the funds and all you will have to show for it will be  a tag of "Terrorist" or the membership of exclusive No -Fly list . This is your opportunity to take responsibility and assume charge. ISI and army must be cleaned before they will come clean. The role of  army must to defend the borders  not create trouble on it. They must be answerable to Parliament and certainly not direct foreign policy. Whatever propaganda you may have heard ; the biggest enemy of Pakistan since 1947 has been its confrontational policies dictated by the army .  From  the perspective of  the outside world the  recruiting slogan of Al - Qaeda and the motto of Pakistan army is the same, "Jihad fi sabil Allah".  Sadly the operational line that separates them looks blurred and mostly non existent as well . Keeping silent  as this moment  will mean agreeing with them.

 Not everything is lost yet. I hear some very sage voices coming from Pakistan . They are asking all the questions that need to  be asked. But will people listen and act ? If people power can make Musharraf go why can't they rein in army's irresponsible patterns now ?  It can happen because  these  sane voice allow for  hope.  Surely  deep  inside Pakistan there is a  beautiful , progressive and  trustworthy nation lurking. Only civic activism can bring out. Carpe diem ! Seize the day!

३६ no more!

On this election eve in Canada, voters are faced with a strange choice. Actually there does not seem to be much of a choice. Taken in a good sense it boils down to the fact that all the players in the field have the state of the Canadian economy as their central focus. What makes them different from each others is how they plan to go about it. Traditionally ruling conservatives have had a top down approach and main opposition the liberals professed a bottoms up. Over the years that distinction has blurred to a large extant. Corporate sector's love affair with the conservatives and working class/ immigrant's honeymoon with the liberals is over for all practical purposes. If you think "big money" has no takers in the liberal party; well think again! Conservatives have been in power for the last couple of years and despite what liberals say they have made a conscious effort to reach out to voters at the opposite end of "big money".

No where is it more true than in Ontario, where a majority of the seats are held by liberals. Conservatives today need the immigrant vote more than at any  other time in the past. That is if they wish to come back and lead a majority government. Like all political parties everywhere in the world they have been tugging at the emotional cords by raising issues like  reducing family reunion wait times;increasing immigration numbers etc. etc. That is not why they deserve the voter support. All this is pure rhetoric. This issue has importance but what is critical for people is the economy. Actually Jason Kenney ,Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism lovingly called minister of curry in a hurry  has been on the ethnic media day in and day out answering questions on these emotional issues. This choice of spokesperson smartly has prevented people from asking other more pressing queries. Ask If you do not have a job yourself , what good will bringing a family member from your home country do? If one is finding housing prices  unaffordable and  wait times for services like health care simply impossible; what good is increasing the number of immigrants ? Isn't that going to be counter productive? And not only to the existing population , think of how much more difficult it would be for a newly arrived person. Can't find a job, can't find a house he can afford to rent......why should he be brought to Canada?  What on earth are we looking for here? Total chaos perhaps! Believe me if economy does not work ,nothing else will work.

One would imagine Liberals to have a better understanding of their traditional vote bank. They might have known that their support base is struggling with pay cuts, job losses and spiraling prices .  Immigrants they have taken for granted need to have their credentials recognized , no government has done anything to alleviate this . Doctors are sitting at home. MBA's are driving cabs. Whole generation  of immigrants  have  had their careers evaporate in thin air as soon as they landed in Canada.  However all they have for solace is  liberal rhetoric again. And then there is this creating of an irrational fear psychosis  in the immigrant minds against conservatives.  Firstly questions should be asked as to what have liberals done in all the previous decades when they were in power except make right noises. Immigrants ;  visible minorities and other socially aware groups have given extended support to them but these very groups have received very little in return. Reportedly liberals are against war in Iraq and all such things ..... In reality what one has to realize that all  of that is just posturing. They are looking for Muslim votes and such veiled references are made to please that  vote bank.  If you ask me  they should not be pleased !  It is just an emotional issue .Canada's largest trading partner is.......you guessed it. The USA! Apart from a joint  history and shared world view there are several different kind of treaties  that bind the two. How practical do you think it would be for any Canadian government to run counter to US ? Remember it is not an issue of sovereignty, it is one of self interest.  If  poll survey's are any indication voters in Canada are already giving Liberals a big thumbs down. And the big question to ask would be; did we need this 7th election in 4 years. Who is picking the $ 300 million tab?

There is a a third force in fray. What my friend called "orange revolution", the other day. Entirely based on a single personality ; NDP to my simplistic mind is just a different shade of liberal. Personally I am also wary of an organization that looks and feels like a one man show. Sooner rather than  later it all unravels. There is not a lot of history behind them and luckily for them they have not had a chance to screw up nationally so far. Based on recent poll survey's a lot more Canadians are putting their weight behind them although their track record of running provinces has been a mixed bag . Did they roll out their socialist program in the provinces they ran?  What kind of economic disaster it was? You have to ask ; please ! This time round they seem to be within sniffing distance of the leader of the pack. The thing to remember is that running Federal government is a different ball game and freezing interest rates on credit cards to 5% + prime is not much of a poll plank. Apart from it being impractical it is meant to reward people who mismanage their finances and abuse their credit. That proposal is bound to have a negative impact on most others who are prudent. Trust me credit card companies are simply going to pass on the added cost of providing credit to rest of us. Much in the same way as we have to  pay an exorbitant  car insurance premium just because one lives in a postal code that has a high number of insurance claims. You may never have made a claim in your entire life  yet you must pay for fraudsters  and careless drivers every single month ! How smart is that?

Everybody is making every kind of promise. In a way they have realized that they will need to accommodate  various groups in their policy making.  At least until the ballots are cast. Conservatives know they can not be Enoch Powell and Liberals know they can not be Lenin. Voters know they need to go beyond their usual and have crossed the floor in large numbers this time round mostly ditching Liberals.  Even so all you may end up is another hung parliament.  

36 in Devanagari is written ३६ . A figure that represents two entities completely inimical to each other.  In this election no side is completely opposite of each other. Voters are open to being wooed by all. Parties are ready to form alliances across ideological divide even before the ballots have been cast. Maybe  NDP is getting ready to form  the government with Bloc Quebecois . Conservatives are possibly sounding Green party for a  post poll alliance. Liberals are most likely reviewing resume's of possible candidates to replace Michael Ignatieff and I am glad I do not have to vote . You see I am not a citizen! If you are , please do so tomorrow and remember it is " The Economy", nothing else matters !

Biggest Party on earth!

As M S Dhoni smashed that ball  out of the park for a six to lift the world cup for India ; he set up unarguably the biggest mass celebrations on earth. It became a very special weekend.  Indians partied like they have never before in living memory. Not only in India but in every corner of the world ; where ever they live they erupted with joy and pride. Everyone was united in mind and spirit at least on that historical day. In my  North American city Indian fans blocked a major road when hundreds of cars with Indian flags fluttering on top took out an impromptu procession. Sports shops simply ran out of Indian flags to sell. People forced the vendors  to reorder instantly and waited  for hours till they got a flag. Price be damned. Frenzied fans were shouting and screaming at the top of their lungs all night and most arrived at work next day with hoarse voices and red eyes. They danced to bhangra beats on the roads and inside malls and  strip plaza's. People called up even long lost friends and relations to share this good news! India of course made all news channels for all the right reasons and even non cricketing world now knows that India has won The world cup!

I got my share of congratulatory calls from unexpected quarters too. And I was invited to a party that evening as well. It was not planned as a world cup celebration but hey  the host happened to be a sophisticated cricket fan from Bangladesh; so there!! On top of this another guest originally from Pakistan started distributing sweets to congratulate and stir Indians in the gathering and before you know we were having our own league matches  . From game statistics, comparative strengths of individual players, team strategies to cricket politics; all kinds of arguments kept flying around. Nobody was willing to give an inch. Food and drinks were forgotten till our better halves started bowling verbal short pitch deliveries. They as virtually unplayable as you all know.  Pakistani group being masters of  the conspiracy theory was keen to show that this win is hollow since some invisible force had "fixed" the result before hand. Specially the semi final in Mohali. Indian side was firm that the cup is theirs because they are simply the "best" ;period! The final verdict by general agreement was that India played well and deserved this huge win. Dissent duly noted.

Anything that impacts one hundred and twenty one million people is going to be huge indeed. So what does it all mean to the pavement bangle seller who sold me a little trinket for my daughter the other week? Her only complaint was that she has to pay Rs. 200 everyday to police  and even after fleecing me ( she admitted she is outrageously overcharging) she is barely making ends meet. What kind of cup can we win for her? She gets out everyday to the swinging yorker of deep seated corruption that does not allow her to build her innings at all. Can we win the world cup of honesty and ethical behavior for her? What does it mean for that teen boy who is eking  out a living by selling music CD's on the street corner, instead of going to school? He has no hopes of making the India A team. How can we win the world cup of education for him so he can better his lot? When are we going to mount a campaign to win a world cup of life for those farm laborers who are forced to commit suicide fifty kilometers from state capitals? How can we win the world cup of justice and equitable distribution for our dispossessed ; forced to become Maoist by an unjust system. We have tamed Brett lee's bouncers but where are we going to find a coach  that teaches us to negotiate the rising delivery of food prices?

The world cup win is a testament to a young , dynamic and resourceful India. India that in a commentators word "does not know defeat". Celebrate this new found strength ; enjoy the fruits of your victory  today but remember there are many many other more important world cups out there . We must win them all. If we want them they are ours. If you partied this last Saturday with friends and in your neighborhoods ; just imagine what kind of  magnificently super party it would be if all 121 million Indians are happy enough to party together. It will definitely be biggest party ever on earth!

I will raise a toast to the day; because I truly believe we can do it !
Congratulations India!

Revolution and Change !

The Third of May 1808, 1814. Oil on canvas, 266 х 345 cm. by. Francisco Goya

It was the winter  of 1976 or 1977; an old lady from our neighborhood rang the doorbell. I opened the door . The neighbor told me  in her heavy Punjabi laced Hindi,'' Son; you have some guests from Kashmir. They are in the Taxi outside. They were asking after your dad in the street, so I brought them over". Honestly, my face fell. It did not cross my mind to thank my elderly neighbor ; instead I cursed  loudly in my mind. Thinking  bad about whoever it was . My only thoughts were; how long are they going to stay? I was not surprised  by the suddenness of this arrival since our one bedroom home was an established long term; no reservations necessary transit point for  several individuals of our extended family and their friends. Too numerous to count. And I knew I will have to give up my  sofa cum bed  for an unspecified time. What rotten luck!.

Well  as luck would have it , my apprehensions were totally unfounded. At least this time round. The guests in the taxi who the old lady mistook for our relatives from Kashmir turned out to be Iranian students . Supporters of  Ayatollah Khomeini and they wanted  to meet my journalist father. I had the ringside seat on that meeting primarily because my father ordered tea to be served to  these guests and it fell on my young shoulders to bring it in from the kitchen. After that no body paid too much attention to  me; a mere child , since they were discussing the  hot topic of  unfolding Islamic revolution and how everything will get better for the Iranian people immediately after. I listened to their romantically lofty and passionately idealistic talk  with rapt attention . My father may have taken their claims with a pinch of salt  as his profession demanded but I really believed them that day. I was all fired up with the zeal of a neo convert ;ready to go  fight alongside them to dethrone Shah and save the people. I imagined myself as a tank commander leading the  charge of the revolutionary guards;  boldly marching  on the peacock throne..... Laughable but true .  Since then we all know how much the  Islamic revolution has helped the people and if all they have managed to do is replace one despot for another tyrant.

Many years ago  in 1917, modern world's first revolution took place in Czar's Russia.  In the word's of an American Journalist  John Reed , who saw it first hand; it was "Ten days that shook the world". Reed was embedded into Bolshevik forces and his famous book  published in 1919  describes the insider's  view of the Bolshevik revolution . The narrative is full of immense verve, energy and  authentic detail. Anyone who reads it will know the greatly humane and loftily ideal principles of social justice and equal participation  in the power structure by common man  that launched  this upheaval .Russia's bad results in the first world war helped in finding disgruntled peasantry and dejected army as the foot soldiers of the Bolsheviks.  "From each according to his ability ; to each according to his needs". Those guiding principles  of communism and their final victory over the bourgeois forces is nothing but impressive. Roughly seventy years after ; I  was in Soviet Russia. There were many things to like but many more things that  did not fit with the image of a worker's paradise.  As our Project Director had told us during a pre trip briefing. "Eat whatever you get or you'll go hungry. " Jokingly he told us to even eat beef if we get it because as he said " Indian cow is our mother ;Russian cow is not related to us! "  I found long lines every where. People lined to buy  basic things like bread.  They lined up to buy even before they knew what  it was they are lining up for. Maybe it is something they can use!! And this was happening in Moscow and St. Petersburg ( called Leningrad in those days). One could only imagine how  it was in the rest of the country. We were state guests of the people's committee of science & technology .  They had us cocooned in the lap of luxury  and put us up in good hotels .Yet at times even those restaurants ran out of this or that. My friend Sanjiv ordered soup everyday after asking what it was made up of and waitress would say Lamb. One day he ordered soup and slurped it  down before he asked her . That day the waitress said " horse meat". A lot of arguments took place  between the two but he was told firmly  to stop whining and  be grateful for  the soup . So Sanjiv's  other choice was to never have soup after that day.  Collectivization of farms  and  means of production had really made a mockery of the great aims of revolution.   It had failed the Russian people. The lot of the Russian people was not any different from what it would have been if they had not beheaded Czar in the first place. They just replaced Czar and his court with a Polit Bureau. It is another story that they have now replaced the Polit Bureau as well with another kind of despotic regime, completely breaking up their country in several pieces as an added bonus.

Our friends in Nepal fought a Maoist armed insurgency against their  King and  the revolution finally dislodged him.  Since that day  the country has lurched from one political crisis  to another and than to another. The lot of Nepali people has yet to see any sort of improvement. Maybe they are the ones who will prove my thesis wrong but I believe Revolutions do not bring change. Change will however bring a revolution.  This is not to say that one should not do any thing to improve political, social or economical  lot of a nation. Question is what method will bring a qualitative change ? A revolution is top down and in your face. It rams down a change through your throat. That's the reason why society throws up down the sink . A change is a gradual evolutionary process . It is bottoms up.  People get used to it  slowly . They engage and interact with it . Changing and modifying  themselves and the processes itself so everything  kind of fits well. This eventually brings about a revolution and a change for the better. 

Take for instance Britain. Since Magna Carta was signed centuries ago ; they curtailed and defined Kings role in the society  and governance.  They gradually increased  the role of House of Commons in the power structure and before we knew  Britain was a stable and powerful democracy where power devolved to an individual through his vote. This is nothing short of revolutionary but it was brought about by change not by a revolution.

 I have no doubt in the  unbounded patriotism; faith ;zeal and commitment of the Bolsheviks or the  Iranian revolutionaries or even the Maoist  of Nepal. They all wanted the very best for their country and their society. Even at the cost of their own lives. It is how they did it that did them in.

The revolutionaries who are agitating  to remove their despot on Tehrir Square  in Cairo would do well to remember and learn.