Catch 22 for Pakistan’s left

Volunteers from Communist Party joined British army to fight Nazi Germany. Faiz Ahmad Faiz had the rank of an honorary Captain in Royal Indian Army and time proved that it was the right decision on part of Communist Party of India 

I do not expect a balanced outlook from a common man in Pakistan who lives behind a smoke screen created by Urdu press and brain washed through 60 years of antagonistic indoctrination against the non-Muslim world, except China. However, the views of old friends from left Wing (now liberals mostly associated with NGOs or civil society) and laissez-faire intelligentsia astonish me. The old cult is still deep seated in their minds, in which America takes the position of the devil. They go so far in their prejudice against America that they lose their ability to pick the lesser of the two evils.

I fully agree to the universal rule that my enemy’s enemy is my friend, yet the issue is to identify who the current enemy is. It is a well established fact that a smaller but irrational enemy is much more dangerous than a bigger yet rational enemy. Hence the later becomes a friend when an irrational enemy is the immediate threat.

International relations revolve around two fundamental rules viz;

1. There are no common friends but common interests.
2. There are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies.

Keeping these in mind, the leftists of Pakistan may learn from the following two examples from not so distant history:

During World War II Communist Party of India felt that Fascist forces were the real menace for the entire mankind.

Consequently against its normal policy, it supported imperialist and colonialist Britain. Volunteers from Communist Party joined British army to fight Nazi Germany. Faiz Ahmad Faiz had the rank of an honorary Captain in Royal Indian Army and time proved that it was the right decision on part of Communist Party of India.

In the 70’s Tudeh (communist) Party of Iran decided to join hands with Islamic fundamentalist in their common struggle against a pro-American ruler. Such was its contribution that the Iranian revolution of 1979 was simply not possible without Tuden Party. That was the fatal blunder for which Tudeh Party signed its own death warrants after the revolution.

The atrocities, with which the Islamist Government crushed the communists, surpassed those committed by the Shah against his people.

The Tudeh Party did have a presence in Iran during the era of the pro-American Shah. However I do not think it has even a trace of it left anymore in the holy land. It is because Tudeh Party made a deadly blunder in choosing the smaller evil. It was like jumping into a pond full of piranha to escape scorching heat.

By the way, as far as extremism and barbarianism is concerned, even the Islamic revolutionaries of Iran were angles in comparison with today’s Taliban. The Taliban cannot even tolerate a moderate molvi, what to talk of liberals and progressives.

By opposing US and the West, our leftist comrades are indirectly supporting Talibanization. Do they expect any better treatment from Taliban, in a Talibanized Pakistan, than what was extended to the communists of Iran by the Islamic Revolutionaries? Do they think that the regional powers can defeat Talibanization without the help of international coalition forces? There are clearly two sides and no middles. Which side are we on?

It is I presume high time, my leftist and liberal friends should rethink their present stance before it is too late for everybody.