Nadeem Farooq Paracha weighs in on jiyala fury.
I am a pretty liberal man, with roots in youthful flamboyant pursuits such as Marxism, anarchism, Z A. Bhutto, the occasional joint, and good ol’ beer that I still am a big fan of.
This is more than a confession. It is a pre-emptive defence of what I am about to do: support the gung-ho PPP jiyalas who after being offended by a ‘satirical’ piece of art that showed late Benazir Bhutto sitting on the lap of General Ziaul Haq went on a rampage across the recently cancelled Shanaakht festival in Karachi.
Of course, the jiyalas’ reaction was roundly condemned by the ‘civilised society’ and supporters of the otherwise pretty impressive exhibition, but the immediate question that came to my mind was: How on earth can anyone who could conceive of a brilliant idea like Shanaakht simultaneously be so insensitively stupid?
It’s so easy for us ‘civilized and cultured ones’ to look down at those rampaging jiyalas as ‘thugs’ and ‘brutes’, but since I’m in a mood to make stark confessions, let me add that if they were thugs and brutes, then so was I!
Being an integral part of the PPP’s student-wing, the Peoples Students Federation (PSF) at college in the late 1980s, a good part of my student life was spent interacting with such thugs and brutes. And the truth is, these guys, most of whom hail from lower-middle and working-class backgrounds, are amongst the most passionate, sincere and loyal folks one can have as friends.
Now, I ask myself, had I, the cultured, educated and middle-class urbanite, still been in my late teens and a PSF member, what would I have done after looking at that photomontage displayed so proudly at the exhibition?
Well, I guess I would have made my protest a tad more creative (but equally offensive). I would have gotten drunk, unzipped my jeans, peed on the floor and called it modern art, or better, ‘situational protest satire’!
Disgusting, isn’t it?
Well, disgusting is what those jiyalas felt looking at that picture that oh-so-cleverly showed their recently slain leader on the lap of a reactionary military dictator who sent her popularly elected prime minister father to the gallows and whose vicious intelligence agencies were probably involved in the mysterious death of her youngest brother, Shahnawaz Bhutto.
Admittedly, Benazir was no Mother Teresa. But then politics is no place for Mother Teresa. She remained an extraordinary woman. For my generation of hot-headed yet dreamy young men of the 1980s – many of whom faced jail, torture and even public flogging by the Zia dictatorship – she was a hero; a woman braver than most men, bolder than the malicious and trigger-happy generals of the Zia regime, and tougher than us, stoically bearing the humiliation, torture and jail terms that she served under Zia.
Above all, she was one of the finest human beings, never uttering a single derogatory word for her biggest enemy, Ziaul Haq, even when the wily reactionary blew up somewhere over Bhawalpur in 1988.
Unfortunately, it seems this generation of haughty and arty ‘activists’ and culturalists only have the intellectual capacity to view her, not through history books and academic critique, but through the lens of bad, one-dimensional toilet humour that started doing the rounds against the Bhuttos in the 1990s, and continued even after Benazir was mercilessly assassinated in December, 2007.
Nadeem Farooq Paracha can be reached at nadeemfparacha@gmail.com
apotheosis of mere politicians is itself an obscenity
This is so true! I wish the entire Pakistani population understands this.
agreed 100% with Larry Stout
I believe in freedom of speech and in freedom of expression.
Every action, has a equal and opposite reaction. It is indeed very insensitive and careless on the part of organizers, if the picture of Late BB is depicted like that.
I am not defending the acts of Jiyalas because of their affiliation with the party they are bound to react this way, but surprised at the UNINTENTIONAL omission on the part of organizers.
Every action, has a equal and opposite reaction. It is indeed very insensitive and careless on the part of organizers, if the picture of Late BB is depicted like that.
I am not defending the acts of Jiyalas because of their affiliation with the party they are bound to react this way, but surprised at the UNINTENTIONAL
Nadeem, this is superb!
Rather disappointing NFP. Didn’t expect you defending thugs. I was offended too by the painting’s description, but in no way would I join a mob and act uncivilized.
So, yeah, I’m proud to be part of the ‘civilized society’.
Currently more and more incidents of political activist violence and deaths are reappearing in Karachi. I kid you not. This ‘Panga’, ‘Bharam’ and false ‘Izzit’ mentality amongst young men must cease.
If in the future the Taliban destroy another loud rock musical concert because it was deemed offensive, then don’t criticize it.
If ZAB and BB are the barometers of heroes for Pakistan, then I am so not impressed (Seriously? Finest human beings?!). Corruption, intimidation, feudalism, autocratic and ethnic strife are just some of the things that mars their time in power.
Clearly you’ve got mad love for the Bhuttos, but I assure you many inside and outside Pakistan who have witnessed history and seen it through non-partisan historical lenses don’t share that view and shouldn’t be bullied into not mentioning it.
So yeah, if you want to protest, do it peacefully, otherwise stop being thugs and get off the streets.
I am a fan of nadeem’s paracha articles and do adore his sense of irony, however im afraid nadeem failed to make a statement here. Im afraid his political affliations shrouded his reason, afterall he is a pakistani.
My point is if the peice of art was not to displayed in the exhiibiton
how come nadeem can defend his point of writing this article as he may not realize but its certainly offensive to that particular artist….
It is not only prudes who identify obscenity. When obscenity is no longer defined (and loathed) by a broad consensus, then the society has rotted. I should know — I live in the Benighted States of America. On the other hand, however, apotheosis of mere politicians is itself an obscenity. I can open my mouth without unzipping my pants.
The piece of art which raged our certain friends was indeed a view or opinion of a artist, and it is too complex to be understood by a jayala,even if he claimed some qualification in this regard. Most significant thing is respect we pay to people whose views are different than us. If we tolerate them we are liberals and if we not we are talibans irrespective of fact we wear baggy jeans and use costly perfumes. i respect paracha’s view as i respect the view of man made that picture with which i don’t agree.
ferhan,
stop distorting facts! I was with paracha at KU where he was instrumental in getting NSF, PSF and APMSO togather to tackle the real goons, the IJT.
Najib btw was not killed for slapping Qaim, he died in a gun battle with APMSO members in 1991.
Either u were in ur shorts to rember this, or like most “liberals” of the day, quietly sitting on the fence. Get ur history right.
So whats the difference between Zia the dictator and his belief that he cant be satirized and BB the enlightened the Shaheed for democracy and freedom of speech?
I have seen PSF goons gun totting in urdu science college in their yore years so i am not surprised where Nadeem paracha is coming from. His leader was after all Najeeb the goon who was allegedly killed for slapping Qaim Ali Shah in Benezir’s presence while totally drunk.
Welcome to this amazing democracy in which a political leader can’t be satirized while. Irony is the “dictator” these guys have replaced used to take much more criticism from every single quarter in Pakistan.
We should stop using the word democracy and openly say wadera raj. After all this is how a wadera and his goons will react.
i’m waiting eagerly for NFP’s next article where he provides proof taliban are misunderstood marxists. chal cheetay publish kar.
Why does everyone forget that “displaying the picture” was NOT intentional.
I just want to say that the person who had made that picture is insensitive and reponsile for jiyalas act….and every one in pakistan wants him to take apoligise from whole Nation
If I found something that is offensive, I would not take the law into my own hands. I would register my protest with the police if necessary. I would write to newspapers. I would never attack anyone physically, whatever the provocation. That’s the difference between people like me and the Taliban.
i dont support voilence but the person who made this disgusting picture is a criminal
its about time we show some respect to Shaheed BB
My God, look at the “liberals” jump up anmd down here, offended by Paracha’s raw, upfront speak.
First of all, for more than 3 years now, NFP has been a frontline writer braving against Islamists while these liberals sat in their cozy drwaing rooms in the warmth of their bubble worlds.
NFP has always been known for blunt speak,and I wish he really would have unzipped and peed on the floor and called it modern art. But knowing the way these generation of anti-bhutto/anti-masses libbies think, they would have given him an award instead!! Satire and passionate writing the one that is hallmark of NFP can never be understood by these arty smarties.
With All due respect Mr. I think you’re missing the point. In the grand scheme of things the issue isn’t how amazing a woman BB was. Its not how nice the people at PSF are. I’m sure they ‘re absolutely delightful to be with. Its not whether they did or did not have a right to be offended by the picture. Sure they did.
The issue is..what we did (and i say “we” because i was one of the organizers) was careless and stupid I agree but it was a genuine mistake and it was unintentional. Our purpose wasn’t to make a statement and/or hurt anyone’s feelings. And a mistake for which we not only apologized far too many times but paid a very heavy price for.
What THEY did however WAS intentional. It was brutal. It was ruthless, it was UNFAIR. it was DANGEROUS. and there hasn’t been one iota of remorse.
Now anyone with the capacity to think rationally and reasonably would be able to tell which is worse. Can’t you?
The fact that very few commentators mention the inherent wrongness of goondas taking the law into their hands, speaks volumes about the psyche of Pakistanis. A nation that does not live by laws and codes and feels laws are irrelevant if one finds them inconvenient, will always flounder at the bottom. Only in the Wonderland of Pakistan a case can be registered against the victims rather than the thugs who use violence on them!
zindabad….nadeem paracha rocks….well said….very true….this cultural orientalism should be identified and stopped.
I certainly beleive that the organizers of the exhibition by displaying that offensive picture, have acted very irresponsibly.They had invited whatever they got in the shape of public wrath.
no matter what class we come from, violence cannot be accepted as an excuse be a taliban or 45 yr old riot claiming still to be students. yes sure we still haven’t learnt a lesson.
two wrongs don’t make a right, and an eye for an eye will leave us all blind’
As a nation, we are characterized by a desperate need to be violent and aggressive on any occasion be it at an exhibition or at a protest rally. In the future, the jiyalas should utilize their energy and direct their emotion towards something more productive, perhaps setting up an exhibition on the “extraordinary and finest human being”, instead of this repulsive reaction.
NFP is saying,
Violence is OK if I am offended.
When I say that I am appalled at this article, it would be an understatement. Let us not forget that rhetoric does not, and will not change the truth. Let us not forget also, that no one here is supporting that exhibit at Shanakht. I believe it was in poor taste. However, it is the mode of protest by the jiyalas that is severely condemnable. If we are to let our passions, emotions and personal justice get the better of us, then we have no right to point the finger at the Taliban for the things they do.
Furthermore, comparing today’s jiyalas by jiyalas of the 80s is a incorrect comparison. Bringing the personality of BB to the forefront digresses from the topic. What we should think is how the jiyaalas could have protested more effectively: had they requested to have the picture removed, it would have been removed, and this faisco would never have occurred to begin with. The exhibit in question shuld not be equated with blasphemy, for it is not.
To reiterate, the exhibit in question was indeed in bad taste. But so are the actions of the jiyalas.
Thank You Nadeem for not being a Hypocrite
Agreed. Whoever conceived that picture was insensitive.
NFP’s writings show this constant urge to go against the flow. In this desire he sometimes forgets that a more thoughtful approach is needed. A liberal past and student politics is bought up to burnish some non-existent credentials.
An article full of cliches, stereotypes and Taliban logic. We truly are a nation of Hypocrites.
Nadeem, you are welcome to come to my art gallery, get drunk, unzip your jeans, pee on the floor and called it modern art.
But please dont insult your intelligence and mine by defending thugs.
Whether Benazir Bhutto was a good or bad leader is completely irrelevant to this point.