The forces of chaos and disruption will not agree on anything less than absolute power. Unfortunately the world community will have to act. We are moving in a direction where our case might resemble that of Japan and Germany in Second World War  

“Tragedies darken when their victims refuse to understand the causes. Intellectual failure has thus been the principle deficit; which means the so-called men of intellect are to blame” says Dr. Mobarak Haider. A political activist, scholar and renowned writer of English and Urdu, Dr. Mobarak Haidar was born and brought up in a traditional Muslim family of Pakistan. Mobarak received extensive Islamic education, graduated with Arabic. He earned his masters in English Literature, and taught in different colleges.

He was sent to jail several times by Pakistan's Martial Law dictators as a political activist for democracy and human rights since 1967. Haider is member of HelpIntgrate, a group of activists working for the integration of Muslims with the modern societies. His books include ‘Tehzibi Nargasiat’ (Cultural Narcissism) and "Taliban: The Tip of A Holy Iceberg". Excerpts:

Do you agree that Pakistani state as well as society is degenerating? If yes, what are the indicators?

Yes, unfortunately, that is true. The indicators are: 1) Rapid Ideological drift of vocal and dominant classes to a medieval concept of governance and society, 2) Ever-hardening ban on dialogue and debate, even organised physical elimination of dissent, 3) Chaotic exclusiveness in personal and institutional conduct, 4) Absense of the will or willingness to negotiate that chaotic exclusiveness, 5) Wild growth of armed non-state forces, 6) Paralysis of the state and society's will to fight these forces, 7) Free fall of economy, incorrigible energy crisis, and an ever-deepening indifference of the state and its institutions toward economic and intellectual problems, 8) Systematic erosion of trust and prestige of democracy and political institutions, 9) A foreign policy of self-righteous isolation leading to a potential suicide blast, 10) Absence of a leadership with vision and prestige enough to halt the disaster.

Who do you think bears the responsibility: military, politicians and civil society, imperialist intervention?

All of us are equally responsible and equally innocent. Ours is a genetic failing. Many deficiencies of inheritance grow with time.  Tragedies darken when their victims refuse to understand the causes. Intellectual failure has thus been the principle deficit; which means the so-called men of intellect are to blame. I am the culprit; and perhaps you are. We think but sparingly: we spare ourselves when fixing responsibility.

Given the fact that Pakistan---founded on confessional basis like Israel---is an ahistorical country. Could the present degeneration be attributed to a faulty foundation? Or was it possible to avoid a failure. After all, Israel is not a failed state even if it is equally ahistorical and is facing a hostile world?

Jews have been a small, united and perpetually persecuted minority. They suffered primarily for being brainy and bright, a result of suffering which resulted in further suffering. They questioned and ridiculed the prophets and miracles, which brought them persecution. Suffering made them secretive. But aspiration and merit flourished. They kept their ratio and quality. A tradition of high performance, manipulation and close unity became synonymous with Jews. They are facing a hostile world today that declares its commitment to eliminate them, unlike Pakistan's imagined hostile world, which shows no intention to eliminate us.

Muslims, on the contrary, have never suffered. We conquered, ruled, gloated, boasted, multiplied, crushed intellect, submitted to an unthinking authority of the Caliph and Clergy, divided on sectarian lines from the very start, breeding infight and abject prejudices, till we lost to the Industrial Civilization. It was natural to hate what overthrew our pride. This further deepened our tragedy: we strongly rejected the wisdom which empowered our adversary, the wisdom of scientific investigation of reality. Modern state and its crafts, its institutions and the science of its power are subjects of post-Muslim era. We have a genetic aversion to these subjects. A Failed state or otherwise is hardly an issue for us. We care for a mythical Muslim Umma, because that imaginary collective allows every individual Muslim's limitless freedom to earn his individual paradise. Our persection sensibility is based on conspiracy theories only.

Will merely a dose of democracy offer panacea to an all-round degeneration?

No, democracy in itself is no panacea. But democracy is so far the only available form of sustainable governance. We do not evaluate its merit as a panacea, because no panaceas exist nor have they ever existed for all human issues packed in one box. We need multiple measures to start a return. But nothing will hold without a major intellectual change forged on a conscious level.  With organized clergy in command, democracy, free media, independent judiciary and prosperity will only serve the tyranny of degenerative intolerance.

What can be done to reverse the process of degeneration?

Almost nothing can be done to start redemption from within. The proposed convention of all the stake holders is a naive proposal as every "stake-holder" believes not only in its exclusive right but that its time of victory is close. The forces of chaos and disruption will not agree on anything less than absolute power. Unfortunately the world community will have to act. We are moving in a direction where our case might resemble that of Japan and Germany in second world war.

Do you think  the urban middle class is drifting towards fascism?

Yes, but not equally everywhere. Punjab's urban centres are more seriously affected, with a serious impact on the defense forces. Their growing prosperity, increasing ability to appease Allah and excellent immunity against reason pampers their pathological narcissism, so that they can easily dismiss the lessons which Axis Powers learned from the Second World War.  Middle class in smaller towns of Punjab and many cities of other provinces follow the trends but are not as die-hard. Nevertheless they follow the dominant middle class because a strong and effective movement against fascist trends is not active. That is what I see as the possible source of great destruction. That is what will provide the world community and Regional Powers with a cause for action. The Russian Federation, China, India and even Iran seem to be joining hands to take charge while the U.S. withdraws. The U.S. withdrawal may turn out to be just a tactical maneuver to facilitate larger unity of regional powers.

Is the ultra-right urban middle class controlling the national discourse and setting political agenda?

Not exactly, I think. They are not equipped with such crafts, nor have they organized a forum for such complex agenda. Their role is supportive in financing and propogating the agenda of retrogressive forces, which have systematically operated from the holy Arab lands. They grew as partners of the U.S. Corporate interest during the Afghan war; built a network of madrissas and mosques; penetrated our armed forces, agencies and effective civilian classes; created armed groups through madrissas and religious parties with official support of an ambitious group of generals. They have done this not only to Pakistan. Muslims everywhere, from Indonesia to Ireland are learning the same message of Islamic Empire through the Imam and Qari who teaches loyalty to the holy land. They now aspire for an independent world role, even dream of restoring their world empire. They hope to win against "the West" using Muslim narcissism and paranoia. These are the forces controlling our national discourse and political agenda.  The conduct of our agencies and genearals has to be viewed with that factor in view. (What is happening in Turkey is perhaps a response of moderrn Imperialism to the aspiring medieval imperialism.)

Is the Pakistani Left capable enough to initiate the “battle of ideas” and determine a political direction?

If you mean "Can the Left initiate?", my answer is "Yes, it can, but it will not". As far as I know the left in Pakistan, they have some basic handicaps. (a) Their anti-imperialism is almost reflex-based, too rigidly fixated against U.S. That unwittingly puts them on the side of Taliban as anti-imperialist freedom fighters. (b) They are too dedicated to "scientific thinking" to accommodate any talk of religion or any reference to it. On the contrary, the society they propose to transform insists on that reference. It has indeed become the predominant reference; even ring tones of cell phones preach love of Islam. The left's narrative was never effective in this country; their insistence to play only on "our own pitch" has further expanded the communication gap in years. (c)  The present disaster can be met only by an exceptionally inclusive unity of all agents of progress; the minimum common which can form basis of a broad united front to restore order is constitutional democracy, writ of the state and peace with the modern world. The Pakistani left is a genetically divided entity. It is internally divided, thus lacking potential to function as leader of unity.

Can grass-roots intellectuals occupy the center-stage again?

That is very hard to attain. But there is no substitute to that option. We have to keep endeavoring.

Is the society as a whole progressive or retrogressive?

Society with S capital has always been progressive. Not only human society. Even animal herds have been progressive. That is not theoretical optimism. Life's history of evolution is the evidence. Man's journey from caves to computerised controls, from abject submission to aggressively asserted human rights, is a simple story of progress. Retrogression is an aberration, not a standard. Man's ambition to prevail will prevail.