Billed as the biggest lobby effort anywhere in the world, Pakistanis signed a petition called "Yeh Hum Naheen (This is not us)" in a four-week period. It is seen as the strongest signal yet from Pakistanis - one could almost call it the cry of a nation stained with shame - that they don't want fundamentalism or terrorism to be known as the Pakistani way of life.

The campaign apparently ensured that most of the signatories were verifiable individuals. Given that the Taliban are raising suicide bombers and death squads from teens in the hardened badlands of FATA, children above 11 years were also allowed to sign.

The campaign was launched in 2007 with a hit song featuring some of the country's biggest pop stars, including Ali Zafar. The idea originated with a British-Pakistani media consultant Waseem Mahmood, whose aim was to prove in a tangible manner that Pakistanis were against the violence that comes in the guise of Islamic "jihad".

"This is about giving people a common platform to fight terrorism," Mahmood was quoted as saying by a British daily. He said all signatures were verified and most signatures collected by direct promotions. The campaign was financed by Muslim businessmen from UK and Indonesia and has caught the imagination of Pakistani celebrities and media.

Despite the obvious attraction of the signature campaign, not much can come out of it. The power of civil society in Pakistan has not left room for hope and inspiration and the yearning for civilian government has repeatedly been run roughshod over by military rule, dictators and coups. Besides, the "silent majority" has been repeatedly overtaken by the "determined minority".

(c) 2008 The Times of India. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.