On trial are the people of Pakistan
The chequered history of the country is replete with grandiose rituals that either never quite lived up to the expectations, or these are obtrusively and blatantly laced with pre-meditated and pre-ordained drop scenes.
In the olden times, the most convenient weapon in the hands of the governments to deal with challenges was to accuse individuals whom it wanted sidelined with treasonous intentions and kept them incarcerated as long as it suited their whims. When times changed and treason lost its relevance and potency, the governments, led by dictators and democrats alike, took to manipulating the constitution to suit their objectives. This was done by various individuals with the sole purpose of strengthening their stranglehold and subjugating their opponents. Bhutto did it to consolidate his dictatorial hold on power and also sowed the seeds of the division of society along religious and ethnic lines. Zia added his demonic sting with unabated criminal vengeance. Musharraf did it to legitimise his coup while Zardari did it to spread far and wide the evil tentacles of his so-called ‘collaborate-with-the-devil’ strategy. None of these individuals – or for that matter anyone who ever ruled the country – could let the national interest dictate the need for policy-making in preference to consolidating individual stakes. The dominant objective was always to hide personal failings and corruption behind the facade of ‘democracy’.
We may have an independent judiciary and a vibrant media now, but nothing really has changed so far as the approach of the incumbent governments and individuals associated with them is concerned. It remains embedded in devious and corrupt machinations to manipulate the authority and the administrative immunities that are vested in the persons of various individuals perched on seats of power. Much against the quintessential democratic spirit, the over-riding priority is to further expand and strengthen the repertoire of these immunities rather than take steps to curb them. This takes the shape of clandestine to open confrontation with all those institutions that are either exposing the deviousness and duality of these commands, or are engaged in adjudicating measures to curb them. The collective weight of the political and the administrative machinery, inducted and installed at powerful positions by employing brazenly corrupt practices, is fully geared to supporting this undemocratic approach.
With the mass exodus of talent and expertise from the country, the average ability to comprehend and address issues that have now assumed existential proportions has decreased exponentially. When interacting with people who, in more than one way, are entrusted with the varied tasks of determining the priorities, formulating and legislating policies and administering the moth-eaten system, one is struck with a sub-normal level of intelligence, knowledge and expertise. It is as if positions and power have been vested in these myopic individuals for services rendered in the task of glorifying and strengthening the indispensability of individuals in command. There is no thought given to the state and its needs in terms of requiring the best to serve its interests. This entire megalomaniac drive is either individual- or party-driven.
Even the best have taken a sip from this poisoned nectar. Those who, at some point in time, appeared to have a clear vision have been overwhelmed by mafias representing the continuation of the status-quo and all its associated ills. Acknowledge they will not because it may spell a steep plunge in their fortune, but deep inside they understand the follies of their minds and hearts and the fickleness which has driven their decision-making. These demonic mafias, predominantly represented by the intellectually-corrupt and the self-interest-driven groups, have remained active through even the most divergent periods because they are quick to change their spots. Serving the dictators, they wear a uniform of absolute subservience, and working with the so-called ‘democrats’, they are seen wrapped in the apparel brandishing the promise-laden whip of their masters. The subjugation of mind and body is abhorrently complete and exclusively self-driven. There are no principles involved. Every credible instinct is dislodged and flushed away. What remains is the naked lust for power and position no matter what compromises are made, what promises advanced and what apologies tendered.
The decline even in the performance of institutions that retain a level of credibility, including the judiciary and the media, is reflective of the overall intellectual and moral bankruptcy that the state is afflicted with. Receipt of petty dole-outs in the name of serving the ‘national security interests’ from the state exchequer, or hounding people in the name of administering justice sacrificing the precept of transparency are all symptoms of this malaise. When media and its operatives are sold out to serve specific interest-groups and when principles of jurisprudence take on the apparel of ‘vengeance’ and ‘vindictiveness’, the society is on a definitive declining trail which, apparently, may be unstoppable.
Every day is a witness to the enactment of harrowing trials being enacted to benefit the aggrandisement of individual stakes in a country that is already on an artificial respiratory system desperately needing a whiff of fresh policies and practices. That, unfortunately, is nowhere to be seen. On the horizon are a number of old actors beating the old drums which have been their tried and tested weapons. The new kids on the block are using a faulty catalogue of objectives and strategies and have also taken to using the old tools that are not suited to the prospect of change. Consequently, whoever the people may choose come May 11, the cumulative results may not be any different. This is reflected in an environment which is dominated by a dire paucity of vision, ambivalence of priorities, jaundiced intellect, formulation of claustrophobic policies and an administration smitten by the lingering and well dug-out tradition of corruption.
The May 11 ritual is meaningless given the severity of the ailment which is rendered even worse on account of the rampant loot that is likely to escalate with the induction of a new dispensation. On trial are the people of Pakistan. Before them are two options: go for the old rats wearing the deceptive garb of more promises, or settle for a one-man charge heading a relatively new team dominated by powerful interest groups representing the decrepit old order. Tragically, the column regarding ‘none of the above’ will not be on the ballot paper!
The writer is a political analyst. He can be reached at raoofhasan@hotmail.com