Anna Hazare to take fight to Pakistan?

Anti-corruption activists from Pakistan, apparently inspired with the war on graft initiated by veteran Gandhian Anna Hazare, have invited the latter to Pakistan to lend support to the ongoing fight against corruption in that country.

Former judge of Pakistan’s supreme court, Nasir Aslam Zahid, and executive director of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER), Karamat Ali, urged Anna to make a trip to Pakistan and guide activists of that country. The duo also appealed to Anna to work on a long-term peace mission between the two countries.

Both Zahid and Ali travelled to Ralegan Siddhi to meet Hazare. Sanjay Nahar, founder president of Sarhad, a Pune-based non-governmental organisation, which runs a school for destitute children from Jammu and Kashmir, accompanied the duo.

Hazare expressed his willingness to visit Pakistan, provided his health and other conditions permit.

"Corruption is a burning issue in Pakistan and Anna’s fight against it has caught our imagination. We need someone like him to tackle the evil of corruption; so we came to visit him,” Zahid told the media after meeting Hazare.

Zahid said that inspired by Hazare’s epic 12-day fast for a strong Lokpal Bill, Pakistani activist Raja Jehangir Akhtar has started a fast-unto-death in Islamabad.

“However, due to our weak democracy, his fast is not getting the kind of support or coverage that Anna got,” he said.

Zahid stated that although democracy was in its infancy in Pakistan, people’s angst against corruption would propel them towards a massive people’s movement.

“We are on the right track and, hopefully, Anna’s example will continue to guide us and give us hope,” he added.

Ali urged Hazare to give impetus to the ongoing peace process and to look into the vexed question of imprisoned fishermen of both countries.

“There are 512 Indian fishermen languishing in Pakistani jails and 200 Pakistani fishermen in Indian jails. We are making all efforts for their early release and have urged Anna to look into the matter,” said Ali.