Weapons of Mass Empowerment

This is an article from Pukhtoon Khan's book "Dynamics of Nations and Pashtun Politics".
 
Weapons of Mass Empowerment 
 
A clear vision for future is the first pre requisite for the survival of a nation in the 21st century. Due to the absence of a futuristic vision a nation cannot synchronize its efforts in one direction. A futuristic vision can only be derived by knowing the past as well as contemporary age. The history of human development reveals that the human race has seen agrarian age, industrial age and now living in Information age. In the agrarian age the basic asset was land, in Industrial it became labour while in the contemporary Information age it is knowledge and learning. Learning implies earning in today's world. Science and technology has therefore, become the weapon of mass empowerment in the modern world due to the cut-throat competition among the nations of the world. The developed nations have found the secret to progress and prosperity and are trying to control the nature by concentrating on just one thing – Science and Technology. This focus in turn guarantees the empowerment of the masses in these countries. The more a nation contributes to the development of science and technology the more its masses become powerful and vice versa. Due to the focus on science and technology the world is divided into three camps. The nations which are creating technology are leading the world. The ones that are copying technology are second in the race. While the consumer societies of the world are at the tail-end and are the victims of imperialist policies of the leading and industrialised nations. In order to evolve to a higher rank in the world community, the most effective method for a nation to come at par with the developed nations of the world is to put all its effort to acquire, learn and discover technology. There is only one way for a nation to become a developed nation and it is to create technology and make it a part of its culture. The one point agenda for underdeveloped nations of the world to secure real freedom from the exploitation of the imperialist nations is to concentrate on science and technology. The implications of the Information revolution have compelled all the nations to aim at the following targets in order to survive in the modern world.
 
1. Techno-Creative Culture 

Creativity is the most important asset human race possesses. Technology is the product of Creativity. The culture which aims at creating technology is called techno- creative culture. A techno-creative culture is a trigger and catalyst for the development of a nation. In essence all divides in the human history have in fact been techno-creative divides. The visible techno-creative divide of our age is the digital divide. The products of techno-creative culture in the contemporary age are Electronic, Nuclear and Genetic Engineering technologies.

2. Knowledge- based Economy   

The economy which is based on knowledge will be able to survive in the modern age because economy is based on capital. Capital is the product of technology and technology itself is the product of knowledge. The market pressures are compelling the businessmen to use technology not only to survive but also to become up to mark in the market. The international standards and quality assurance benchmarks like ISO and CMM in various industries signify the fact that business is becoming complex and need knowledge and technology for its proper functioning and operation. Knowledge based economy is the sole guarantee for a secure and sustainable economy in the modern world.

3. E-governance based Politics 


The 21st Century requires e-governance as the basic tool for state-craft. Unless and until planning, policies, development, growth, education, agriculture, industries etc. are based on the transparent and predictable principles of e-governance, there is always a danger for a nation to be misled by fake tools like propaganda by state controlled media, hypnotic emotional speeches by dummy leaders, personality cults, leadership charisma and dogmatic creeds. It is the cry of the day to base the politics of a nation on the scientific principles of e-governance in order to make it synchronized with the speed of history. The ideals of good governance, accountability, transparency, merit and national interest can only make sense if e-governance technology is in place to translate them into a reality.

4. Industry-based Education  

It is never too late to take a bold decision of converting Education into Industry. The education system has to be made industry-oriented to produce skilled human resource capable of running enterprises, industries, factories, bureaucracy etc. and have the ability to compete in the international market. The curriculum which is in accordance with the zeitgeist and requirement of the market should be the major focus of the education system. If the education system produces quality assured product, industry gets a boost due to presence of skilled human resource, production increases, industrialization process gets expedited and hence more job market is created for the skilled human resource. Any other educational system by a government would produce academically qualified but economically unproductive human resource which would be a liability instead of an asset for the society. The non-productive human resource contributes to unemployment and corruption in the system. If the educational system produces human resource having no demand in the market then the government has to face the music in the form of unemployment pressure from the jobless junta. When the unemployment pressure crosses a certain limit then it gives birth to crime for which government has to allocate more budget as crime by the literate ones is more sophisticated in nature than by the illiterate ones. On the other hand if the product of the education system is incompetent then the system is bound to get corrupted.

5. WWW-based Morality 

The code of ethics which has helped the developed nations of the world to progress is what I call www principle viz: My worth is my work and my work is my worship. WWW principle means that the worth of any person is measured solely by his work and unless work is considered as worship by the person it has no worth. 

(Pukhtoon Khan: The Frontier Post: 08-07-2007)

Religious Exploitation and The Future of Asia

This is an extract from Pukhtoon Khan's book "Religious Exploitation of Afghans and Future of Asia". 

 Religious Exploitation and The Future of Asia

Nations have not been uniting in history based on religion and if they do this unification is not long lasting. A more feasible scenario which seems to be coming into existence is that the Afghans of Pakistan would unite with their Brethren in Afghanistan after liberating themselves from the clutches of an exploitative army-with-a-state called Pakistan. Abul Kalam Azad had remarked in "India wins Freedom”, about the bleak future of Pakistan. Uniting based on religion was a weak idea and will remain to be weak while uniting based on common ancestry, race, customs, traditions, language, history and culture coupled with politico-economic interests is a solid basis for unification.

US Policy towards South Asia

Barack Hussein Obama has shifted the US Policy from Osama-phobia to Islamo-philia. Now the policy of the White house will be to befriend the Muslims and use them instead of getting terrorized by them keeping in view China as the real US enemy instead of so called Muslim world. GW Bush was pursuing the policy of GWoT and used Osama-phobia to attack Afghanistan. On the contrary the Obama administration however will “change” the old policy and will be using Islamo-philia and attack Pakistan to balkanize it. The rising of a black with racially African and religiously Muslim origins to the throne of Power in a super power like US is not a miracle but a pre-planned agenda of the US power elite who are the movers and shakers of the world. For an American President being Black means that he would use the zeal and fervor of the optimistic and passionate black community both in the US as well as in African to bring the “change” and a man with Muslim lineage means that he would get the support of Muslim community against the socialist “infidels” of China this time in the Middle east and elsewhere. All this is the product of the think tank behind Obama administration known as Zbigniew Brzezinski who is the main pillar of the US Power Elite.

The following are the main points of the main points of the new US policy.

• Change the Policy of War against Islamic terrorism to Dialogue with Islamic world.

• Shift the target focus from Muslim world to China, Russia and their allies.

• Remove the influence of China from Africa (for example countries like Sudan) to cut off its access to oil and weaken its economic growth. Strengthen the Tibetan insurrection in China.

• Destabilise the allies of China like Pakistan, Sudan and Burma.

• Weaken Pakistan using pretext of bin Laden, Al Qaeda, and Taliban to divide it into smaller states like Baluchistan, Pakhtunistan and Sindho Desh and a Northern state consisting of the current FANA.

• Weaken Sudan by Christian separatist movement. Pressurize Russia by constant US presence in Afghanistan and Japan.

• Befriend Iran even bearing its nuclear teeth to use it against Russia.

• Encourage China to conquer Eastern Siberia of Russia.

• Use the ideological notion of Human Rights instead of the Muslim focused slogan of Terrorism to highlight the weak element in the socialist China.

The importance of US policy for Afghans is immense. The Obama administration might attack Pakistan in order to balkanize it. The emerging states could be Azad Baluchistan, Pakhtunistan, Sindho Desh and a state consisting of current F.A.N.A. This is the reason that Punjabi dominated Pakistani media is getting anti-nationalist and anti-US at the same time as they know that this is the only time in history of Afghans, Baloch and Sindhis when the interests of Nationalists and US are coinciding. It is worth remembering that in Afghan war the interest of Pakistani establishment and US coincided that is why they did not care about pushing Afghans and Afghans into an alien war to safeguard their interests. The media boycott of Nationalist parties like PKMAP, BNP, and Jay Sindh in Pakistani media is also understandable in this context. The leadership of Afghans should consider this agenda of the world powers while they are framing their policy for the nation. There seems to be some communication gap between Americans and Afghans.

Analysis about Indian Subcontinent

Pakistan might not survive and the Punjabis of Punjab on Pakistani side might think to unite with East Punjab and the Sindhis with their brethren in India. India with Pakistan [minus Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan] amalgamated into it can still be a strong and respectable neighbor of Afghanistan and this might become inevitable with the passage of time due to the compulsive forces of history. Similarly South India [old Tamil Nado] might also become a separate Country in the future.

Having said that there is nothing wrong if different ethnic, religious or sectarian groups get united in a state however for that a system of socio economic justice and equal rights for all is necessary failing which even such a republic may not survive. This has already happened in Pakistan which could not ensure basic human rights to Bengalis, Afghans and Baluch in the past 63 years and hence it is destined to face the music for this state level injustice. Karzai should be considered as a realistic start towards a more sovereign Afghanistan capable of facing the challenges of the modern age, keeping in view the tribal nomenclature of the Afghan polity aiming at an Afghanistan independent of foreign imposed ideals exported to Afghanistan to safeguard their own vested interests both from Muslim and non-Muslims entities and states. There is no harm in having mutually dependent goals based on national interests without falling into the trap of courtesy based on Muslim brotherhood which is a slogan used to safeguard one's vested interests in the International affairs , ignoring their otherwise autocratic , aristocratic or theocratic nature.

Analysis about Afghanistan

The result of NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan will not be different from the USSR's withdrawal , if the current endeavor by the "Karzai govt" towards making Afghanistan a republic is either sabotaged [according to the wishes of Afghanistan's neighbors] or halted by Taliban. I know the accusations on Karzai and they might be true though the source which are quoted are multiplied by zero when it comes to statistics about Taliban or others. However my view is that everyone is innocent unless proved guilty. Having said that to be honest I mean to say that even if all such accusation are true about Karzai or his relatives, I still call it a realistic start not an ideal one. In real world that too in a tribal society like that of Afghanistan, this is not a big deal. In Arabic they say" Aamalukum Ummalukum"[Your deeds become your rulers]. Neither is there an Islamic state in today's world nor do I see one in the future. It does not imply that I have any ideological grudge towards Islam, Muslims or Arabs but due to the reason that the world has become much complicated and I don’t see religion as the basis of a state practically.

It is, therefore, suggested that the local Afghans who sincerely believe that they have the manifesto to lead Afghanistan towards a bright future should form a legitimate political party and present their manifesto to the Afghan masses using peaceful means so that the political process with all its weaknesses and handicaps should continue and get improved. Any other effort will result in breaking another covenant inked at Makka by Afghan religious political parties but broken by them in the very next hour of their visit as history has witnessed.

Final Conclusion

The gist of the discourse can be expressed in the words of Iqbal- an Indian Poet, as follows: Asia is like an organic body of mud and water and Afghan land forms the heart of this body. Peace in the Afghan land ensures peace in Asia while chaos in it will result in entropy in the whole body.

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