From: memon@acsu.buffalo.edu (Naveed Siraj Memon)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.pakistan
Subject: Re: liberals in Pakistan
Date: 15 Aug 92 19:25:48 GMT
Organization: UB

In article <1992Aug15.185153.5349@sol.cs.wmich.edu> sherwani@sol.cs.wmich.edu (Naveed Sherwani) writes:
>In article <Bt15uJ.7ux@acsu.buffalo.edu>, memon@acsu.buffalo.edu (Naveed Siraj Memon) writes:
>> From: sherwani@sol.cs.wmich.edu (Naveed Sherwani)
>> Newsgroups: soc.culture.bangladesh,soc.culture.indian,soc.culture.pakistan
>> 
>> >Liberalism died in Pakistan in late seventies. For some reason,
>> >which I dont understand, Pakistan is increasingly becoming
>> >conservative. When the whole world is waking up and joining
>> >the global village, Pakistan is going back into a shell.
>> 
>> The world is waking up to join the Right my dear sir. There was no substantial 
>> change by the declaration that a New World Order will re-unite the people to
>> fight injustice. Somalian drought, Ethnic cleansing, appointment of conservative
>> supreme court judges, hey I see the entire world going to the right.
>> 
>
>Dear Chota Naveed Bhai:
>
>I agree that US is tilting right, but we have basic freedoms here
>and these freedoms are being increasing granted to citizens 
>all over the world. I was talking about basic rights.
>Hopefully Clinton (if elected, I do hope so), will change some
>of the tilt.
>
>> 
>> >Now Pakistan has no place for its liberal citizens. Freedom
>> >of expression is limited by religious considerations and freedom
>> >of thought is limited by vision which does not go beyond our national religion. 
>> 
>> And who will change the status quo. That is a more relevant question. My plane
>> leaves September 6 btw.:) Survival takes a higher priority than calling for
>> social justice in Pakistan, otherwise don't tell me that you and I and our
>> army of liberals could not have achieved any thing in Pakistan. Oh well, 
>> maybe another lifetime.
>> 
>> 
>
>The first step would be to speak out and try to convince people
>around you about the rights of humans. This process has to be
>at grass roots and has to go on for a long time, before any national
>level change will happen.
>
>Just make sure that your family, your kids and your wife (to be) will
>treat jamadars as humans, treat your servants as equals, etc. Also
>make sure that not to judge people on their religion, nationality,
>race, gender, language, (mohajar, punjabi,  sindhi or not), among other things.
>Remind them that we are all human first, before we are Pakistanis or muslims.

Well that is a start as you call it but all that is on the individual level,
and coming back to the question of a grass-roots movement, I am not sure
how many people will risk their livelihood and safety considering the lack of
any laws ensuring free speech. I am sure once I get back to the same old
schedule of being a regular citizen, my indifference towards injustice would
re-surface. It is like my friend used to say, "if there is rioting going on
in the city, then it is so much a part of your life, that you are de-sensitized
after a while".

>
>THAT WOULD BE A START.
>
>Since I know that you intend to do all these things anyway, I am writing
>these ideas just to remind others what a start should be.
>
>I know it would be difficult, for in Pakistan our expressions are
>restricted, but a fundamantalistic Pakistan is too horrible a thought
>that we must do something about it. Even if it is a trivial start as
>mentioned above.
>
>regards,
>
>-Naveed
>
>PS: Good luck in Pakistan, I hope to see you there in december.
>    I hope that you come back one day to complete a Phd. 
>    I know you will do a great job at that too.

Thanks :)


Naveed
Xref: sparky soc.culture.pakistan:13569 soc.culture.indian:27871