June 08, 2007

The World Sindhi Institute hosted a Discussion Forum on the evening of Friday, June 08, 2007 from 6 to 8 pm . The Zenger Room of National Press Club, Washington, DC was full to capacity, of concerned individuals and representatives of relevant organizations and media agencies, participating in a heated discussion from various perspectives. The topic of the event was, Pakistan: With terrorists in government and the U.S. in denial, where do we go from here?

The subject of discussion pertained to the current situation of Pakistan in light of the recent judicial crisis and turmoil resulting in the unfortunate incidence of massacre in Karachi . The forum also deliberated on the future prognosis of the political scenario in Pakistan and the possible options for U.S. policy for Pakistan and surrounding region.

The forum was addressed by five Speakers, with a lively question/answer session after each speech for that particular speaker. Following all five presentations, the floor was opened for an extended Q&A session, which almost became an open discussion with the moderator intervening as and when required. Following is the list of Speakers at the forum:

Dr. Manzoor Aijaz, Writer, Economist, Journalist "˜Daily Times"

Mr. Iqbal Tareen, Human Rights Activist

Mr. Zahid Makhdoom, President, WSI

Mr. Haider Nizamani, University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver , Canada

Ms. Nafisa Hoodbhoy, Voice of America (Speaker & Moderator)

Many thought provoking points were raised during the well prepared and thoroughly researched speeches of the speakers. However, the highlight of the event was the interest and involvement of the participants, who provided their intellectual as well as emotional input through out the evening. Ms. Nafisa Hoodbhoy handled her role as a moderator very well, in spite of the vast diversity of the participants/speakers and the tremendously large scope of the subject under discussion. The discussion was timed excellently and the program ended exactly within two hours at 8:30pm .

Mr. Zahid Makhdoom chaired the forum. He welcomed and thanked the guests for participating. Ms. Nafisa Hoodbhoy began by expressing her concern about the articulation of the title of the event, which she viewed as being representative of a very specific opinion and did not leave room for an open, expansive and credible discussion from a wider perspective. Some points that came under discussion included the following: 

• The criteria of calling any group a "terrorist" group; Terrorism which could be "the dictatorship of the minority".

• Democracy; should it be "dictatorship of the majority" ?

• Equalizing of economic resources as a resultant and basis of "Democracy".

• Rule of Law and complete independence of Judiciary, and the resulting situation because of a lack thereof.

• Removal of Chief Justice's issue of a personality or of a system!

• The peculiar situation of Karachi as a city in Sindh.

• The oxymoron of "Generals of Army" playing the role of Politicians.

• Comparative assessment of Presidential v/s Parliamentary system of government for Pakistan .

• Factors giving rise to situation where people loose hope and suicidal tendencies grow, along with an escalation in "Jehadis".

• The distinction between Urdu speaking people of Sindh and MQM as a political party.

• Abolition of Army dictatorship in Pakistan, establishment of civilian regime and ending of terrorism created by MQM.

• The role played by the military headed government/s in the initiation and growth of MQM as a political party.

• The incredibly unexpected reduction and growth in popularity of certain leaders in Pakistan in extremely short durations of time.

• General Pervaiz Musharraf's own ethnic background and how it does and would have affected the politics of the country, had it been any different.

• Expectations from the people of U.S. in the case of such situations as of Pakistan .

• The role of U.S. policies in shaping political scenarios in Pakistan and impact of a policy shift on lives of the common Pakistani people.     

A detailed report, pictures and video of the event will soon be available on the WSI website: www.worldsindhi.org.