Hero or Traitor?

One of the major causes of anxiety for the Pakistani nation today is the trial of retired general Pervez Musharraf for high treason arising from the issuance of the “provisional constitutional order” on 3rd November, 2007. It is interesting that when the General staged the coup in protest against his dismissal,he was hailed as a hero by some and as a great leader by many for a few years in the beginning. Even the Supreme court gave him 3 years to do what he liked in national interest. It is a pity that he did not keep the promise to shed his uniform and ignored some of the basic infrastructure development causing severe hardships to the nation in the years to come.

The issuance of the PCO is considered tantamount to the subversion of the Constitution of the Islamic republic of Pakistan and can be construed as being within the purview of article 6 of the Constitution.

The determination as to whether the issuance and enforcement of the PCO are acts punishable under the High Treason act of 1973 is to be done by a court of law to be approached in writing by the government of Pakistan.

The High Treason act of 1973 is a hastily written law under which even the abrogation of the constitution of a private volleyball club would be punishable by death retroactively from 23^rd March, 1956. Obviously this law was made to intimidate and keep in check Field Marshal Ayub Khan. It is really strange that divulging secrets related to national security or cooperating with Pakistan’s enemies are not listed as acts of high treason. Maybe there is another law for that.

As for his accomplices under sub-clause b of article 6, people he consulted before issuing the order cannot be charged as abettors. He may even have prayed to God for guidance before signing that document, but I would not recommend the justices to issue orders to arrest God. The men who should also be in prison are the men who actively participated in drafting the PCO and its subsequent enforcement as ministers, heads of departments and institutions etc. Mr. Musharraf should cooperate with the investigators and reveal their names without delay.

We should also not forget that Gen. Musharraf has a right to defend or justify his actions before the court yet to be found and he should not be called a traitor in anticipation.

Election-2013

1.       Imran Khan didn’t get any runs for his opponents’ wide-balls and no-balls. He is right in complaining.

2.       Lesson for all discovered by IK: Never allow yourself to be shoved up on an unguarded platform. May he recover speedily and fully.

3.       Altaf Hussain is trying to become Bhutto of the Mohajirs. He has chosen the wrong example to follow.

4.       Everyone Except Nawaz Sharif is complaining about the election results.

5.       Some success has been achieved in the emancipation of the captive votes.

6.       The elections were freely, fairly and transparently rigged.

7.       Sindh is doomed to misgovernance and chaos for the next five years.

8.       IK hit Maulana for a six, but the ball was caught in the stands: Maulana is appealing.

9.       Let us hold next elections with electronic ballot and biometric verification as soon as possible.

10.   The following news item in Dawn of 16^th May titled “Over 30 get bail in vote rigging cases” on page 16 has been ignored by the TV channels and the ECP:
 

The Truth about Musharraf’s Trials

Retired army chief and ex-president Pervez Musharraf is incarcerated in his own farm house pending trials against various charges brought about in citizen’s appeals before superior judiciary. These are as follows:

1.       Treason by way of abrogation of the constitution of Pakistan: There is a document signed by him in the form of the “provisional constitutional order” which is a material proof, but in the absence of legislation including the offence in the penal code, the matter is open to debate and the punishment will have to be assessed as a new precedent. The justices will also have to take into account the intention behind the act. As for his accomplices, people he consulted before issuing the order cannot be charged as abettors. He may even have prayed to God for guidance before signing that document, but I would not recommend the justices to issue orders to arrest God. The man who should be in prison is the man who drafted the PCO and Mr. Musharraf should cooperate with the investigators and reveal his name without delay.

 

2.       Eligibility for Election: I had written a blog way back in 20007 saying that Mr. Musharraf and his associates were guilty of violating their oath of allegiance to the constitution and disqualified themselves from holding public office in future. I still hold that view.

 

3.       Involvement in Benazir Bhutto’s murder: There is no material evidence made public so far, and all enquiries have indicated a complex situation in which many people could be suspected for being beneficiaries from them crime.

 

4.       Negligence in providing protection to Benazir: This charge does not hold water, as three out of the 4 persons in the same vehicle as Benazir remained unharmed and she came out of the hatch of her own free will. If the president is to be held responsible for the deaths of passers-by in terrorist attacks the Mr. Zardari has to take the blame thousands of deaths in the last four and a half years.

5.       Dismissal and house arrest of judges: The action was indeed highly objectionable and could be inferred as persecution (condemned in the Holy Qur’an as worse than murder). But it is a unique case in which the victims have taken it upon themselves to judge the case – in a way taking the law in their own hands. Perhaps a tribunal of retired justices should be formed to try the case in which the aggrieved judges should appear as plaintiffs. After all, no body is above the law.

Myanmar Massacre

News of the massacre of Muslims in Myanmar (previously Burma has been filtering in for the past one year. Waves of refugees have come to Pakistan and other Muslim countries from time to time in the past also and the matter has been occasionally rather halfheartedly raised by the international press and television. The pictures below show the scale of the tragedy and the extent of savagery shown by the Buddhist terrorists. It is a shame for humanity that the war on terror has not found feet to strike those terrorists.

Love?

 

مدّ توں   پر بات  یہ اپنی سمجھ  میں آی  ہے 

ٹھوکریں کھا کھا کے ہم نے یہ نصیحت پایی ہے 

شیخ اور ساقی کے ما بین ایک قد ر مشترک 

چا ہے جا نے کی تمنا با عت رسوائی  ہے

 

It has taken me long to comprehend,

and faced a pitfall at every bend..

The fact that the holy and the whore must face:

Desire to be loved is the cause of disgrace.

 

Minkowsky’s Myth

For many centuries wise men have followed the golden rule: To every impossible question there is an inaudible answer.  However, in today’s world when electronics has augmented our perceptive powers to the extent that sounds and images can be shared and exchanged with those who are worlds apart, the silence must be broken. One such poser is Minkowsky’s Point Event introduced in early twentieth century.

It is said that Minkowsky, using the principles of special relativity and the four dimensional geometry of Rieman was able, in 1908, to present to the world a new and unique concept of four dimensional space time continuum which is represented mathematically by the second order differential equation ds² = dx² + dy² + dz² + c²dt². The square of time has no practical significance by itself, but multiplied by the square of velocity it represents an area like the other terms of the equation. Similarly, in the Cartesian coordinate system x.y, y.z and z.x represent area but x.x means nothing. In terms of 20^th century physical science this means that the minute displacement represented by ds is not completely described by the three coordinate dimensions dx, dy and dz, as in classical Euclidean geometry; but in addition by the time dimension dt also, forming the fourth coordinate of relativistic geometry. The quantity ds is renamed as a "point event" and is not exactly a distance in space, but an element in the four dimensional Minkowsky space-time continuum which is `simultaneously finite and boundless.' However, in this continuum, matter is able to assert itself as "the pressure of matter distorts the curvature of the four dimensional space-time continuum which is the physical universe." 

Minkowsky’s equation can be rewritten as ds²/dt²=dx²/dt²+dy²/dt²+dz²/dt²+c² in which the left hand term is an acceleration equal to the sum of accelerations in each of the three coordinate directions plus the velocity of light squared. A body with such acceleration would exceed the velocity of light in no time and in the case of a body at rest or moving constant speed we get 0=c² which is absurd.. The constant c² in the equation also indicates that the basic relationship might be a third order differential equation. You could multiply both sides with m to get

mds²/dt²= mdx²/dt²+mdy²/dt²+mdz²/dt²+mc²

 in which the left side is a  force but the last term on right hand side would be energy. Moreover in classical mathematical analysis higher powers of infinitesimal quantities are ignored as zero, which if applied would make it 0=c².  We can also write ds=√(dx² + dy² + dz² + c²dt²) which means that the displacement ds is equal to root sum of squares of displacements in three coordinate directions plus the distance covered by light in time dt. It is mind-boggling as to how the displacement of any or every particle in space can be related to the displacement of a photon in equal time anywhere in vacuum. However, the mathematical geniuses of that era were able to utilize it for greater achievements.

One can only wonder how the self contradicting expression of “simultaneously finite and boundless” was accepted by the scientific community of that time. Such a thing is possible only if you stand in a hall of mirrors and insist that each of the innumerable images you are seeing is a real human being.  Perhaps this was the beginning of the century of illusions which I shall discuss in future.

Violence in Islam

There seems to be growing perception in the Western world that Islam is a violent religion and the Quran teaches violence. The misunderstanding may have arisen due to quotation without context of certain verses of the holy Quran.

The readers may be aware that the Muslims were brutally persecuted in Makkah in their early days and the Prophet and large numbers of his followers had to take refuge in Madinah where they were greeted with respect and affection and the Islamic state was formed. In 10 subsequent years there were three different battles and a peace treaty was signed between the Muslims of Madinah and the idolaters of Makkah. However, the piece treaty was frequently violated by the idolaters of Makkah and at one point a large number of Muslim travelers were mysteriously massacred. The following verses 190-193 of the second chapter Al-Baqarah (The Cow) were then revealed to Prophet Muhammad before he marched on Makkah with nearly a hundred thousand followers.

190. And fight in the way of Allah with those who fight with you, and do not

exceed the limits, surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits.

191. And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers.

192. But if they desist, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

193. And fight with them until there is no persecution, and religion should be only for Allah, but if they desist, then there should be no hostility except against the oppressors.

It can be seen that the verses repeatedly warn against exceeding limits and prohibit violence against those who remain peaceful. In fact, the idolators of Makkah surrendered to the Muslims and when the Prophet re-entered Makkah along with his followers not a drop of blood was shed. The idolaters were given general amnesty and were allowed to keep the properties they possessed. The result was that most of them embraced Islam and became Muslims.

Unfortunately, in some translations and explanations of the Holy Quran, these verses have been used to propagate Jihad or armed struggle against the persecution of Muslims without any qualification or reservation.  

The Last Sermon

Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) delivered his last sermon (Khutbah) on the ninth of Dhul Hijjah (12^th and last month of the Islamic year), 10 years after Hijrah (migration from Makkah to Madinah) in the Uranah Valley of mount Arafat. His words were quite clear and concise and were directed to the entire humanity.

After praising, and thanking Allah he said:

“O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and TAKE THESE WORDS TO THOSE WHO COULD NOT BE PRESENT HERE TODAY.

O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your LORD, and that HE will indeed reckon your deeds. ALLAH has forbidden you to take usury (interest), therefore all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity. Allah has judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to Abbas ibn ‘Abd’al Muttalib (Prophet’s uncle) shall henceforth be waived…

Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.

O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah’s trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.

O People, listen to me in earnest, worship ALLAH, say your five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in Zakat. Perform Hajj if you can afford to.

All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety (taqwa) and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.

Remember, one day you will appear before ALLAH and answer your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.

O People, NO PROPHET OR APOSTLE WILL COME AFTER ME AND NO NEW FAITH WILL BE BORN. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the QURAN and my example, the SUNNAH and if you follow these you will never go astray.

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness, O ALLAH, that I have conveyed your message to your people”.

From the above it is obvious that the movements for the rights of women and racial equality were pioneered by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in the 7th century. Virginia Wolf and Martin Luther King came much later. Nonbiased Western authors who write on these topics should not hesitate to give credit to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) on his contributions in these fields.

The Ideology of Pakistan

The ideology of Pakistan has become a hot topic of discussion in the perspective of the forthcoming general elections and all sorts of speculations are being made in the news media.

Pakistan is an ideological state which obvious from its name: The Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The ideology of Pakistan is obviously Islam and is defined in the 1949 Objectives resolution passed by the Constituent assembly framed to draft the constitution of Pakistan in the following clauses:

“Wherein the principles of democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice as enunciated by Islam shall be fully observed;
Wherein the Muslims shall be enabled to order their lives in the individual and collective spheres in accordance with the teachings and requirements of Islam as set out in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah;

Wherein adequate provision shall be made for the minorities to [freely] profess and practice their religions and develop their cultures;”

Pakistan’s Islamic ideology is unique as it differs from those of the other two Islamic Republics of Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian ideology is based entirely on the Shiite teachings as adopted by the iatollahs. The Saudi ideology is entirely based on Sunni beliefs as interpreted by wahabi scholars.  Pakistan’s Islamic ideology is based on the contents of the holy Quran and Sunnah without bias towards any sectarian interpretations and guarantees the rights of nonMuslim residents and travelers.

Genesis

Genesis: Allah worked for six ages of a thousand years to set up the mechanism of creation and established His headquarters in heaven, then said "happen" and the world took shape. He monitors the state of affairs in the world and sends new ideas in a cycle of a thousand years. All life emerged from water. Humankind has been created in the best era of the world's existence. (Al-Qur’an verses 10:3, 21:30, 32:4-5, 95:4,)

A six day routine is also found in the Christian Bible (Old Testament) and Jewish literature, but there the length of the day is not indicated and the sequence is rather poetic. From the accounts in the holy Qur’an it appears that the creation of the physical universe and human beings was a well planned and systematically executed project. Apart from giving various symbolic accounts of creation the Qur’an also states the scientifically established notion that life originated in water. Biblical researchers have estimated the life span of prophets from Adam to Moses at about 1000 years each and established a lineage. Most probably they had normal life spans and were born 1000 years apart and were not related as they were born at different places in an area spanning from Egypt to Iraq and Palestine to Yemen.