Headlines:
- Democracy in Tribal Areas Will Not Change their Fortunes
- Accepting American Mediation over Kashmir is Like Accepting the Mediation of Satan
- Dismal Situation of Health and Food in Baluchistan is because of Capitalist System
Democracy in Tribal Areas Will Not Change their Fortunes
On 21 July 2019, the “Daily Express Tribune” reported that the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), having witnessed severe militancy and military operations in the last two decades, has entered a new era of democracy, after peaceful completion of the historic first-ever polls, at their newly demarcated provincial assembly constituencies. Since the inception of Pakistan, the tribal areas have their own unique circumstances. In undivided India, due to the fierce tribal resistance, the British Raj granted limited freedom and thus assigned a separate identity. After the creation of Pakistan, the tribal areas were governed by a special law known as the “Frontier Crimes Regulation” (FSR), which was a direct derivative of British colonialist law, distinct from the rest of the country. The tribal areas should have been integrated with the rest of the country and this could have been achieved if Islam was implemented comprehensively in Pakistan. However, the political and military leadership continued the law left by the British Raj, which hindered the integration of the tribal areas with Pakistan. The Muslims living in the tribal areas were only able to settle a few of their matters according to Islam, because of the limited independence they enjoyed. The limited independence enjoyed by these tribal areas and their love for Jihad meant that their militancy was acceptable to Washington in the era of the Soviet bloc. Until the last decade of the last century, these qualities played an important role in constructing a resistance movement against the Soviet Russian occupation of Afghanistan. However, after Afghanistan was occupied by the United States itself, these qualities of the tribal Muslims became a direct threat to US objectives. Therefore, in order to suppress the resistance, military operations were conducted there for almost a continuous two decades. On 24th May 2018, an article of the constitution was amended to end their special status and different identity. They were merged within the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and sixteen seats were allotted to them in the provincial assembly.
The political and military leadership of Pakistan claim that the imposed change was because the tribal areas were left behind in economic progress from the rest of Pakistan, through their separate status. They now claim that through the democratic process, a new era of development and prosperity will be witnessed in these areas. However, this assertion is totally false because if this had been true then today the situation of Baluchistan, Khyber Pakthunkwa and interior areas of Sindh and Punjab would have been much better than the tribal areas, as they have been governed by the law applied throughout the country for the last seventy years. In fact, the real reason for lagging behind in economic progress is the system and laws left by British Raj, which are from capitalism. The Muslims of the Subcontinent strove for Pakistan for the comprehensive implementation of Islam and unless it is not comprehensively implemented, not a single area in Pakistan will ever witness real change. Real change will only take place when the Khilafah (Caliphate) on the method of the Prophethood is re-established, implementing Islam in each and every sphere of life. Allah swt said,وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَآمَنُوا بِمَا نُزِّلَ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ كَفَّرَ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ وَأصْلَحَ بَالَهُمْ “And those who believe and do righteous deeds and believe in what has been sent down upon Muhammad – and it is the truth from their Lord – He will remove from them their misdeeds and amend their condition.” (Surah Muhammad 47:2).
Accepting American Mediation over Kashmir is Like Accepting the Mediation of Satan
On 22nd July 2019, the US President, Donald Trump, welcomed the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, at the White House. Both heads of state discussed Afghanistan, mediation over Kashmir, the resumption of American aid and increasing trade between the United States and Pakistan. President Trump expressed that he “would love to be a mediator” over the conflict between India and Pakistan. Imran Khan asserted that, “the people of the subcontinent are held hostage by the issue of Kashmir. As the most powerful country in the world, the United States can play the most important role in bringing peace to the subcontinent.”
By endorsing Trump’s mediation, Imran Khan is pouring salt in the wounds of the Muslims of Occupied Kashmir. It is equivalent to treachery because American enmity against Islam is obvious. It is America that killed hundreds of thousands of Muslims in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is Washington that supported the tyrant of Syria in his open slaughter of Muslims. It is the United States that not only supported the butcher of Gujrat, Modi, it helped him to come to power. Then how could the mediation of Trump be accepted to secure the interest of Muslims? Moreover, American mediation allows it to weaken Pakistan under the banner of normalization between Pakistan and India, so the status of Pakistan in this region is reduced to the level of Nepal or Bhutan, whilst India will be able to focus on countering China and suppressing Muslims in the region. Do neither Imran Khan nor General Bajwa know that Muslims have always lost whenever the United States or its colonialist institutions, like the Why have they not taken heed from the separation of East Timor from Indonesia and the separation of South Sudan from the rest of Sudan? Have they not seen the role of Washington in the issue of Palestine, where through mediation the US strengthened the Jewish entity, whilst maintaining stony silence over the Jewish entity’s atrocities against the Muslims of Palestine and recognizing Jerusalem as the capital city of the Jewish entity? So how is accepting Trumps mediation not treachery in the issue of Kashmir?
The rulers of Pakistan General Bajwa and Imran Khan are inviting the wrath of Allah (swt) as Musharraf did before for Allah (swt) has forbidden to take our matters to the non-Islamic authority, Taghut. Allah (swt) said, أَلَمْ تَرَ إلى الَّذِينَ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُواْ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ يُرِيدُونَ أَن يَتَحَاكَمُواْ إلى الطَّاغُوتِ وَقَدْ أُمِرُواْ أَن يَكْفُرُواْ بِهِ وَيُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَن يُضِلَّهُمْ ضَلاَلاً بَعِيداً “Have you not seen those who claim to have believed in what was revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what was revealed before you? They wish to refer legislation to Taghut, while they were commanded to reject it; and Satan wishes to lead them far astray.” [Surah Al-Nisa’a 4:60]. Therefore, it is an obligation upon the Muslims to reject any Taghut in arbitration. They must re-establish the Khilafah which will resolve all the issues of Muslims, including Kashmir, by following the commands of Allah (swt), liberate occupied lands through Jihad. And then prosperity and security will prevail and we will be honored in front of Allah (swt) on the Day of Judgment.
Dismal Situation of Health and Food in Baluchistan is because of Capitalist System
On 26 July 2019, the National Food Survey 2018 was presented in Quetta. According to this report, 73.7 percent of boys and girls reaching the age of adolescence are experiencing deficiencies. This report also said that more than 50 percent of children of the age of 5 or less are below normal weight. The most dangerous thing is that 50 percent people in Baluchistan are facing food security issues. Baluchistan is full of mineral and gas resources but is still facing food security and inadequate health issues. Pakistan is a food sufficient country and Baluchistan has this ability too. According to a 2018 national survey jointly conducted by the Ministry of Health and UNICEF, Pakistan globally ranks 8th, 10th, 5th and 4th for the production of wheat, rice, sugar cane and milk respectively. Despite producing food enough for the whole population of Pakistan, some areas, including Baluchistan, are facing food insecurity because of the capitalist system. The capitalist system basically does not consider the responsibility of the state to ensure that all people must be facilitated to secure their basic needs. It left the distribution of essentials on the Price Mechanism because it thinks that price alone is the motivation for labor and investors in production. Furthermore according to the capitalist system, price restricts people from satisfying their needs according to the amount they have in their pockets. Therefore man satisfies his needs according to what he owns. According to capitalism, the share of a person in the national wealth is not according to his requirements, but according to his yield in producing goods and services. So in reality capitalism does not give a right to live for a person who does not have any share in producing goods and services. And the one who has the greatest share in producing goods and services, has the most right to exploit the rights of others to establish his domination as he is more capable than others. So in a capitalist society, the rich person alone can fulfill their needs and luxuries but the vast majority of the people are deprived of fulfilling even their basic needs, with luxuries as a distant dream. It is the capitalist system that has always focused the production of food but does not consider the responsibility to ensure that distribution takes place such that every citizen has their needs fulfilled. That is why in the world’s biggest economy, America, 40 million people are battling with hunger. This is the ugly face of capitalist system.
In contrast to capitalism, Islam does not leave the matter of distribution to the price mechanism. It ensures its distribution. The Islamic State considers it a responsibility to ensure the distribution of food. Islam not only ensures that each and every person’s food needs are secured, it has declared food, clothing and shelter a basic need of every person. Islam has made it an obligation on the state to ensure the availability of basic needs of an individual so every person can secure his individual needs. And those in society who cannot ensure the fulfillment of their basic needs on their own, then this responsibility first shifts to their immediate blood relatives and then to the state. Therefore the coming Khilafah state will end food insecurity issue, not only in Pakistan but in the whole world, and all humanity will enjoy the bounties created by Allah (swt) for them. Allah swt said, وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الآخِرَةَ وَلاَ تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَحْسِنْ كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ وَلاَ تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِي الأَرْضِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ “But seek, with that (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on you, the home of the Hereafter, and forget not your portion of legal enjoyment in this world, and do good as Allah has been good to you, and seek not mischief in the land. Verily, Allah likes not the Mufsidun (those who commit great crimes and sins).” [Surah Al Qasas:77].