Review of Noam Chomsky’s lecture at Cafe Bol – Our first annual Eqbal Ahmad Lecture

In US-Pakistan relations stability means obedience: Chomsky

By Maria Amir

“Stability to the US means obedience. As long as Pakistan is obedient it will be considered a stable ally,” said MIT professor emeritus Noam Chomsky on Wednesday.

Chomsky said the moment Pakistan stopped cowing down to the US, the talks of nuclear threat and jihadi movements would start making headlines in the US media. He said while the threats existed, but they would merit action only when they threatened US interests.

“We’ve all heard the term ‘to stabilise the region’ from the US government. Whenever the term is used it actually means that the US will destabilise the region but ‘stabilise’ any threat to its interests,” he said.

He was speaking at the Café Bol in Gulberg’s Main Market on Wednesday. The lecture marked the season opening of the annual lecture series at the cafe. The first lecture included a tribute to Eqbal Ahmad, one of the most proactive political thinkers of the past few decades. Chomsky, a friend of Ahmad, himself enjoys what can only be described as cult status in a discipline that seldom endorses such interest among young and old alike.

Chomsky spoke to a packed audience of over 80 people in an empty room above Café Bol via skype from his academic offices at MIT in the US. He spoke on several subjects during the one-and-a-half hour lecture. These included a brief history of the World War II, US imperialism and involvement in Latin America over the past three decades and the consequences as well as a more recent take on Pakistan.

He also spoke fondly of his late friend Ahmed and the man’s involvement in improving Indo-Pak relations, his work with the National Liberation Front in Algeria and Ahmed’s politics. “He was an incredibly astute analyst. Discussion on every subject he touched upon was improved because of his involvement. He best predicted the future of both American and Pakistani political policy in the coming years,” Chomsky said.

One of the most interesting subjects Chomsky elaborated upon was the situation in the Middle East and the parallels that one could, and could not, draw from it for Pakistan. “The US and its imperial allies will always prevent a functional democracy in the Middle East because that places the region beyond its control. They like democracy on paper but the fear of ‘real’ democracy in other parts of the world is cemented in the US psyche. It would mean a severe lapse of control where they are involved,” he said.

With regard to Pakistan, Chomsky elaborated on his late friend’s view that the country’s leaders severely lacked commitment to the land and to its people. “Eqbal always said that there can be no revolution or change without a genuine commitment to the cause and that is lacking in Pakistan. Many don’t care if the country goes down the drain as long as they can profit from the fall out,” he added.

During the question and answer session that followed, the MIT professor was asked to address the recent allegations against him and others such as Tariq Ali for being ‘Taliban Sympathisers’. “I don’t like to answer such questions because it tends to give them weight,” he said. “It’s like saying I’m in favour of child abuse. It’s so insipid and without basis that it doesn’t merit a response,” he said.

With regards to the US-Pak relations post Osama bin Laden, he opened with a ‘Freudian slip’. “US-Pak relations post Obama or Osama? The fact is that not much will change from the present or at least it wont change quickly. Whether or not the US likes it, Pakistan is all it has got to keep control in the region. The country may not be it’s favourite ally but it is certainly one of the most important ones, if not the most. Aid will continue and support will continue. There is simply no other alternative.”

Prof Chomsky also addressed the Israel-Palestine situation during the lecture. “The US knows that it is losing friends and fast. Over a 100 countries now recognise Palestine in some variety or the other and that exceeds more than half the world’s population. We know we are all moving towards a two-state solution and even this US government is beginning to recognise that,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2011.

Photo’s from Chomsky’s Lecture at Cafe Bol

Review of cafe Bol Event in Pakistan Today: Struggles series – Under threat of eviction

Lahore’s Café Bol has become a regular meeting place for those seeking to expand their intellectual horizons over a cup of kahva. In particular, their regularly held talks and guest lectures have been well received. Last Sunday, the café inaugurated their new ‘Struggle Series’ of guest speakers by inviting Zahid zAli Anjum, President of the All Pakistan Katchi Abadi Alliance, to talk about his organisation and experiences at the café in Main Market.

There was a respectable turnout, and the tiny café was packed. Zahid Anjum spoke for an hour about his experiences working with and for the inhabitants of urban Pakistan’s many katchi abadis. It is estimated that upwards of 7 million Pakistanis live in some form of ‘katchi abadi’ settlement today—a figure that amounts to more than one-third of all of the nation’s urban dwellers. These informal settlements contain rampant poverty, and most inhabitants lack access to basic amenities.

As narrated by Anjum, katchi abadis in Pakistan’s urban centres came into existence in 1947, as in the aftermath of partition many poor refugees migrated to the cities and needed immediate shelters. Over time, rural-to-urban migration in search of better prospects has greatly increased the number of katchi abadi dwellers. In 1978, a law was passed formally recognising as a katchi abadi settlement of 100 or more houses. Over time, this has decreased and now a katchi abadi is legally defined as a settlement of at least 40 houses.

The Punjab Katchi Abadi Act of 1992 also helped formalise the position of katchi abadis, particularly in Lahore. The All Pakistan Katchi Abadi Alliance was formed in 2003 during Pervez Musharraf’s era. At that time, his government undertook a campaign to forcibly evict the inhabitants of katchi abadis on railways land across the country. The alliance was the first organised national-level resistance by the residents of katchi abadis against the state that aimed to render them homeless. Their agitation led to substantial gains for katchi abadi dwellers, as Anjum recounted, although there is a long way to go.

Scholars have pointed out that although technically katchi abadis occupy land owned by others (usually the state) they are merely claiming the right to shelter from a state that has failed to provide adequately for them. Anjum explained that one of the main scourges of living in an illegal settlement is the constant danger of evictions and demolitions by the state. This is due to the fact that katchi abadis are usually settled on state-owned land. Under the law, the state can decide to evict these residents by claiming that the land is needed for public use.

Anjum claimed that if they were provided alternative housing by the state, eviction with due notice would not be the problem it is now; however this is never done by the state in practice. This was the situation when the All Pakistan Katchi Abadi Alliance was formed to resist forcible eviction.

Thanks to the struggles of the alliance, an amendment was secured in the 1992 Punjab Katchi Abadis Act.

The act had previously recognised as a formal katchi abadi as any settlement that had been occupied since 1985. This was later amended to settlements in existence since 2009. Katchi abadis formally recognised under this act cannot be demolished without due notice. Anjum told the audience that there are roughly 400 katchi abadis in Lahore alone today, of which less than half are formally recognised under the act. After the informative talk, there was a discussion and a short question-and-answer session.

The major theme that cropped up for the audience in the discussion was why the All Pakistan Katchi Abadi Alliance had never contested elections in the areas in which it was active. Instead, the alliance prefers to throw its weight behind whichever mainstream party’s candidate they consider will benefit their community most. Anjum explained that this was because they felt that mainstream political parties, like the PPP, would ensure the maximum audience for voicing their struggles and issues. Café Bol’s weekly ‘Struggle Series’ discussion will next have a guest lecture on Fanon.

by Ghazal Asif Farruki

– The writer is in the fourth year of her Bachelors in Social Sciences from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).

Photo’s from Zia Sardar Lecture

Struggle Series: Lecture by Lal Khan

We are delighted to welcome Lal Khan for two lectures/discussion. This Sunday and next.

Lal Khan, M.D., is a revolutionary political activist and Trotskyist political theorist. He is the leading figure and main theorist in the International Marxist Tendency, alongside Alan Woods. He is a doctor of Medicine, although he no longer practices this profession for the sake of his revolutionary activities. In response to the coup attempt of 2002 in Venezuela, he helped found the Hands Off Venezuela campaign. He is currently the leader of the Pakistani Marxist organization The Struggle, and editor of its newspaper.

More information to follow.

For details/directions, contact
Azhar Malik @ 0313-4545581

Please contact Azhar for details.

20 rupees students

30 non-students.

free if you want.

Photo’s A History of Katchi Abadi Struggles By Zahid Ali Anjum

Frantz Fanon Lecture to be delivered by Zia Sardar

Cafe Bol has decided to set up a series of annual lectures to honor some of the leading thinkers of the world of politics, art, philosophy and poetry.

One such annual lecture is our Franz Fanon lecture in honor of the great psychiatrist, anti-imperialist, philosopher, and revolutionary.

We are honored to invite Ziauddin Sardar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziauddin_Sardar) to deliver the first lecture. Zia will be talking on ‘Islam, modernity, post-modernity and trans-modernity’…the discussion will be followed by a question and answer session.

Articles of Zia Sardar on Naked Punch:

1 –

‘Islam, Colonialism, and Resistance’

http://www.nakedpunch.com/articles/61

2 – On Franz Fanon

http://www.nakedpunch.com/articles/47

=========================================

non students 100 rupees
Students 50

Free cava and possibly brownies.

call or sms

Qalandar

03215493567

Email: Qalandar@nakedpunch.com

A History of Katchi Abadi Struggles By Zahid Ali Anjum

The All Pakistan Katchi Abadi Alliance was formed under Musharraf’s era, in response to his government’s attempts to forcefully evict all katchi abadis on railway land across the country. Though katchi abadi settlers have been immensely active, this All Pakistan Katchi Abadi Alliance was the first organized, national response to forced evictions in three decades.

In the first lecture of our our new struggle series we present Zahid Ali Anjum a political worker who has been active in katchi abadi struggles for a number of years. Coming from and still living in katchi abadis, he will narrate a history of katchi abadi struggles from partition onwards.

The Cafe Bol Struggle Series is a new and occasional series of talks focusing on communities engaged in struggle across Pakistan.

30 rupees

10 students

free if you want.

Will be serve a new tea to our menu – Black Rose tea.

to reserve places please email:

Qalandar@nakedpunch.com

Review of Cafe Bol in Express Tribune

They say all it really takes to change the world is an original idea and enough people believing in it. This is the underlying notion behind Café’ Bol, a tiny establishment inspired by Faiz Sahab’s classic poem. The venture, started by philosophy enthusiast/political science major Qalandar Memon and LUMS law professor Asad Farooq, aims to provide an ‘independent thinking space’ for Lahoris.

I recall being intrigued several months ago when I encountered the Café Bol Facebook page, showcasing a weekly ‘Thus Spake Nietzsche’ night. The site of the café, a tiny room in Main Market adjacent to a narrow street surrounded by tea shops, mechanics and tailors, initially left me wondering why anyone would open a café in a place where few people would bother making the trip. Then I realised that the entire point of Café Bol is to weed out the “genuinely motivated” from the sloganeers.

The place itself consists of a small, rectangular room with no furniture, plenty of rugs and cushions, a ‘Bol’ poster, a bookshelf and a “kaava station” (read rickety table, with a portable gas stove). The menu consists of teas from all over Pakistan and beyond. “We have orange kaava, Irani kaava and Balochi, Sindhi, Peshawari blends,” Qalandar says, as he opens up an assortment of plastic bags and jars.

“Café Bol is really all about cutting across class structures, we are trying to provide a forum for ideas to be exchanged. Ideas that really don’t find a space anywhere else,” he says.

The parallel with Pak Tea House in the 70’s is obvious, but Qalandar insists that Bol “isn’t about demagoguery. There’s all kinds of talk, and the crowd tends to drive discussions towards politics and religion because that’s the way we are conditioned, but I lean towards philosophy and the arts, or obscure themes that aren’t really touched upon in college classrooms or anywhere else.”

Both the location and premises enhance the air of intrigue around Café Bol. This tiny room has an open window overlooking workers busy welding something or other, while the wall opposite is covered by a red poster of Che Guevara and shelves lined with Good Books. It is a peculiar, uncomfortable and yet poignant buffer zone. “I never wanted to cover up the walls. I like the fact that we can see out and everyone else can see in, it builds in to what we’re trying to do here,” Qalandar says with a smile.

I ask him about seating arrangements and logistics, and he says their customer base fluctuates. “We have a few regulars who show up now and then,” he says, but the real draw has been guest speakers.

“It’s usually packed when we have a great speaker,” he says. “People end up sitting shoulder to shoulder in rows, packed like sardines, and for some reason that’s part of the charm.”

Over 30 people showed up to hear a talk by lawyer and environmental activist Rafay Alam. Other topics guest speakers have lectured on include Native American poetry, Plato and photography. But Qalandar feels there is little demand for high intellectual discussion.

“I suppose our education system has a great deal to do with it,” he says. “People are so geared towards being fed information that it’s rare to find people who genuinely enjoy throwing around new ideas and challenging them.”

Memon says that the greatest facilitators for Café Bol have been Danka and Facebook, because they made the cafe accessible to a crowd that was already scouting for a place like this. “We can’t really afford anything beyond that,” he says sheepishly. “We charge an admission of Rs 10 or a maximum of Rs 40 for a major event. Once we charged people Rs 150 for a miniature drawing class but only because we were providing art supplies,” he says.

I am apprehensive about employing the term ‘quaint’ to describe this rough, weary and noble place, but it fits. Café Bol’s most marked characteristic is its unassuming simplicity. From the photocopied manuscripts of obscure texts on sale to hand-made pottery and stacked issues of Memon’s edited ‘Naked Punch’ gazette. The place practically reeks bohemian independence with its lamps from Multan, the rugs from Bahawalpur and crockery from Sindh.

As I made my way to leave I asked Qalandar why there had been no major events at the café’ over the summer. “Well, I bought an AC but I’ve spent most the summer running after WAPDA to get a connection. Until it’s up and running I can’t really expect audiences to show up in this heat,” he says.  He has a point. Café’ Bol may thrive on being understated and unassuming, but it has a long way to go before its audience is.

Published in The Express Tribune August 16^th, 2010.