Kamran Shafi

The writer is a retired army officer and a freelance columnist

kshafi1@yahoo.com.uk

Two rather important, but extremely silly, announcements from our announcement-prone minister for interior last week. One, that the Islamic Republic is about to ease visa restrictions to encourage tourists to visit the Land of the Pure; and two, that he is inviting India's Home minister Lal Krishna Advani to visit him. As to the first announcement one can only say that visas to visit the Fatherland are rather easy to come by as it is. Look at the lovely Richard Reid, the shoe-bomber, and with what alacrity he obtained his visa several times over. Encourage tourists did the minister say? Lets sort this problem out here and now. Who in his or her right mind will want to visit Pakistan in the foreseeable future? Our country is a "soft" country remember, so anointed by Mein President himself. Who will want to visit unless they want their heads chopped off by the many crazies that stalk our poor land, that is. Who, given that they may only be of average intelligence, will want to visit a country where foreigners, especially women, are looked upon as aliens from another planet? Where they are stared at lasciviously, and fondled and groped even as they attempt to fight their way through the throng of goondas and Yahoos at all of our airports?

Why indeed, should tourists be lining up at our embassies and consulates across the world, clamouring to visit Pakistan, a culturally barren land and one in which even the simplest pleasures of life are denied to them. We are an Islamic Republic, good and well, but why do we shove our beliefs down the throats of people of other faiths? I have made this point before, comparing our draconian and foolish so-called 'laws' with those obtaining in other parts of the Ummah, which welcome foreigners and let them conduct themselves in keeping with their own social mores. Only as one example, take Dubai, an important Islamic State which has so developed itself that it is now one of the world's leading tourist and convention destinations, spinning off billions of dollars in foreign exchange. Why should foreigners visit Pakistan, indeed invest in it, when they are put in straitjackets the moment they land?

We must surely be the only country in the world which has so much to offer tourists and which assiduously refuses to make use of its beautiful natural assets. We must surely be the only country in the world, which has its head so firmly planted in the sand that it refuses to accept the fact that it has been turned into an inhospitable and barren desert. We refuse to look next door and see where Indian tourism and foreign investment have got to. It is all very well for General Musharraf to be making brave efforts to get the Japanese to invest in Pakistan as I write this, but why should the Japanese come to Pakistan in the present circumstances? Why should they risk life and limb in a country, which even bans recreation and fun?

Far better, what, for the Commanding General of the Interior Ministry to see to it that Pakistan becomes a less "soft" country, that the law and order situation is improved, before he even thinks about easing the visa requirements further. All he has to do is to enforce the laws of the land before expecting tourists to come flooding into Pakistan. Far better for General Moinuddin Haider to get together with Colonel Tressler, him of "Tressler Amendment" fame, to make Pakistan a tourist friendly place by enforcing the "tourists only" law in our hotels, on our beaches and at our other recreational facilities much the same way as Cuba has done. I had suggested very long ago, the setting up of "Foreigner only" (read "Kafir only" for that matter!) bars at hotels including in those located in the Northern Areas where most of the tourists go. Indeed, at this time even the so-called "five-star" hotels have no public areas where foreigners may get together and relax. Whilst alcohol is available for them, they have to hide in their rooms to imbibe. Why should anyone want to visit Pakistan, when they are treated as veritable criminals? We might well think that the light shines out of our back; no one else does, I can assure you.

And now for the second announcement: the invitation to Mr LK Advani to visit Pakistan, sent by hand of Advani's close associate, the very sharp Sushma Swaraj, the 'Lahore di Kurri' as she fondly says she is. Well, just a few weeks ago when India was foolishly piling the pressure on Pakistan and making strong demands for our country to hand over certain "criminals and terrorists", our government had made a counter-demand to the Indians to hand over LK Advani himself to us to answer murder charges contained in an FIR dating back to the late-40s/early 50s. There was much frenetic announcement-making by our government at the time, various spokesmen saying whatever came into their heads, even giving out FIR numbers and dates and names of judges who heard the case back then.

Right then, is LK Advani a wanted absconder from Pakistani justice or is he not? For if he is, it is highly inappropriate to invite him in the first place. For if he is, should he not be arrested the moment he sets foot on our soil? For if he is, why would he accept the interior minister's invitation to come calling? Really, this is the limit! Respected sirs, please, please think a wee bit before you shoot off at the mouth. Pause just a second and reconsider what you are about to say, instead of dropping priceless gems all the time.

Which leads me to another priceless gem, or gems, for they were dropped by many officials of our poor and hapless country. That had to do with Omar Sheikh being an Indian agent. Our redoubtable foreign minister (who is not leaving his post according to sundry government spokesmen which means he is, and soon) said it first while on a visit to Germany, no less. Soon thereafter the refrain was picked up by the pleasant FO spokesman, Aziz Khan. Then followed a spate of government press releases enforcing the point. Sadly though, there has been nothing further on the matter; we have been shown no proof; it is as if none of the above happened. It would do us well to recall that the matter was agitated in the international media no end at the time, and that it has surely left those that heard it (and saw it) gaping with disbelief at what idiots we are, saying and not meaning anything we say. Who, then, will take us seriously the next time around?

Finally, for something being written about by many a pundit on the matter of whether or not Pakistan should recognise Israel. Their main argument is that we should not, because that act will put paid to our stand on Kashmir, that we shall have no legs to stand on re: the Indian occupation of Kashmir if we recognise a country that occupies Palestine. Well, we do recognise THE country that occupies Kashmir, do we not? So what is this then? Should we de-recognise India? Far more than that we should understand the fact that many members of the Ummah recognise Israel, among them our good friend, Turkey. Indeed, we should understand that important Islamic countries such as Egypt and Jordan and Tunisia and Morocco do so too. Much more than that, the Palestinian Authority itself recognises Israel. Much, much more than that India does too, and it, I daresay, has better relations with the Ummah than we do! Let me exhort all of us to face this very bitter truth too.

Let us take another view. Which member of the Ummah, in spite of the fact that we do not recognise Israel, uttered a squeak when India moved its army to our borders only some weeks ago? No, sirs and ladies, let us for once, do what is right for our country. Let us, for once, stop being the citadel, the thekedars of militancy.