=> “It is heartening to see democracy in action in da
“It is heartening to see democracy in action in dangerous situations like that of Pakistan right now. It makes me proud,” says the United States peace activist Tighe Barry when asked to share his views on the activities at the Karachi Press Club (KPC). Barry is visiting Karachi for the first time along with his colleague Medea Benjamin; they both are active members of CodePink for Peace — a social justice movement in the US striving to end the war in Iraq.
He finds a striking similarity between the people of Pakistan and the US who are being derided by a dictatorial president. “Even the US government thrives on deception and the distortion of facts all the time,” he says referring to Tuesday (November 27) night’s protest by members of the People’s Resistance against the media curbs and emergency rule. “The Pakistani government is claiming that it has not banned the media and all the channels are back on air but the control still exists.”
The government has no right to kill the basic purpose of journalism —objectivity. “By restricting the media from writing or speaking out against the government, they are trying to kill objectivity and that is not acceptable,” he comments.
Barry and Benjamin are on a week-long trip to the city, meeting people from various political parties, trade union activists and journalists. They will be heading off to Lahore next week. CodePink national, explains Barry, serves to connect the local groups in the US with the international network of global peacemakers.
“We are committed to working for peace and social justice. We want to tell our people to reject the Bush administration’s fear-based politics that justifies violence, and, instead, call for policies based on compassion, kindness and a commitment to international law.” Barry is of the opinion that a similar tactic is being adopted by the Pakistani president to justify his presence in the government.
Barry feels the existence of multiple political parties in opposition is a favourable element in Pakistani politics that should stand united to build pressure and rid the country of a dictatorial regime.
This is Barry’s first visit to Karachi, but not the first to Pakistan. “I have been to the NWFP, Rawalpindi, Swat and to the Karachi airport but did not go anywhere in the city earlier so this is actually my first visit to the city.” The 50-year-old says he is shocked at the way things have changed in Pakistan since his last visit to the country in the 70s.
“I have visited the NWFP several times in the 70s, where I have a Pushto friend with whom I crossed the Pakistani border to enter Afghanistan. Back then, crossing borders was never an issue,” he says. Today, since the entire border is sealed by the Pakistani Army, Barry cannot think of reliving those years.
Sharing his interesting background before becoming an activist, Barry informed The News that he was a prop member in Hollywood and it was the insensitive reaction of the people living in the “artificial world of films” on the Iraq war that made him quit his job. “I was at a movie set in California when we got the news of US soldiers bombing Iraq. The minute we tuned into the news channel and saw images of bombs being dropped, everyone on the movie set started cheering and I stood there thinking and telling people that these weren’t bombs being blown up in a video game. We are talking about real people and women and children are dying… but no body seemed to care. For them it was a victory.”
Being pro feminism, Barry then decided to leave Hollywood and became a committed member of CodePink network for peace. “A lot of people don’t realise that even women in the United States suffer discrimination and there is no action on part of the US government to ratify laws like the Equal Rights Amendment Act as part of the Constitution.” He disclosed that as an activist he was determined to address the issue in his country.
Tighe’s protests in Washington D.C. were organised to pressure the government to stop funding the war in Iraq. Subsequently, this led to his arrest several times over, but he refuses to give up. Through creative campaigns, CodePink has gained massive support across the country and has succeeded in inspiring people from all walks of life to stand for peace. Furthermore, it suggests that a similar support in Pakistan can help bring about a change.
Source: The News
Date:12/1/2007
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