You wake up in the morning, do your ablution, say your prayers and thank Allah for providing us the opportunity to experience a new day. Wherever a Pakistani wakes up, be it Swat, Balochistan, Sindh coastline, Chitral, Baltistan or any part of Punjab, one cannot thank Allah enough for the beauty, serenity, geo-political location and the unending resources that he has blessed our country with.
When you get down to the business of the day, starting from reading the newspaper, opening the TV talk shock channels, interacting with your domestic help, getting into public transport, office, interaction with general public, meeting socially with friends, coming across politicians, bureaucrats or any member of the social strata, the only thing that comes out loud and clear is corruption, mismanagement inefficient/ineffective governance, breakdown of law and order, the musical chairs being played by the politicians and the shameless partnerships being created to get into or to stay in the corridors of power.
After having their photo shoots and getting over the initial hype, no one is bothered anymore about the fate of the flood victims as was obvious from the fate of the earthquake victims, who are still languishing with their small children in paper thin tents and bearing the onslaught of the winter. The masses are yoked into unending inflation whilst the selected politicos play out demoncracy.
What are our options: Stay the course with the present government and form of government based on the experiences of the last three years? We are heading straight towards the Bermuda Triangle.
Bring about an in house change by re-marrying the politicos? They have all been tested before. The new old faces will take us straight to the ice cap.
Do nothing? We will have a civil war on our hands which will make Somalia look like playschool.
Martial law? If it is going to be of the kind we have had before than the Army is better off staying in the barracks so that they can be preserved for the Tora Bora caves. They can be brought back once the main anger and destruction of the civil war has ebbed. But this could be a pipe dream as once the civil war starts, the Army would be as affected as the rest of the country.
Even with all these dark clouds hovering over the national landscape, there is still a silver lining .There is the talk of revolution, the whisperings of lynching the corrupt. Some say five thousand, some say a million. Revolution should not be taken negative as it is a desire for change. It is negative only for those who are comfortable with what they have created and do not want to change the status quo. But, the masses are yearning for a change. If the powers that be are unable to discern and guide, then this mood will change into civil war but if the mood can be grasped in time, then Pakistan can come into its own.
There is talk of a benevolent dictator. Well, if truly benevolent like Lee Kwan U or Mahatir, yes, they have changed the destiny of their nations it is doable provided the individual can first bring himself, his kith and kin, his friends and the institution he heads to accountability. Only then would he have the moral right to Ehtsaab of the others.
The mindset to do good to bring change can take root in any individual of Pakistan. It is not the property of any one individual. By the grace of Allah, it can take root in the most unthinkable of minds. It can take root in Mr Zardaris mind. He could wake up one day and say enough is enough, I could eat only this much even with all my wealth, wear one suit at a time, so now onwards, sincerely and truly, Pakistan Khapay. Hey, stop sniggering. Miracles do happen. Or, this thought can come into Mr Gillanis mind. Imran Khan is already infused with it but will never get the vehicle to implement it the way he is going. For all you know, this thought may get infused in Gen Kayanis mind or some other Gentlemans mind.
If a change like that does come, it would be futile without taking the following steps: Clean the stables and lynch the corrupt, change into a presidential form of government, create 30-odd provinces with the existing divisions converted into provinces, Boldly re-evaluate our geo-political alignment, quality education with special emphasis on technical education, industrialisation based on our mineral resources instead of being cotton centric, and a concentrated effort to change the outlook and thinking of the general population.
If we still decide not to do anything, the clouds of change are already forming. How and when will they burst out are anybodys guess but burst out they will.
