Imran Khan’s beaming face told the whole story when he departed to see the army chief Thursday night, was even more beaming when later returned to his air-conditioned sit-in container. Why dozens of meetings between his party leaders and representatives of ruling and opposition parties, frequent high level contacts between top leadership, frantic calls here and there to calm the situation, did not yield any result? Why he and other sit-in orator, Tahirul Qadri, kept rejecting any possibility to find a solution within legal framework? Perhaps they are just puppets being played by their masters, parroting the scrapping of the whole system in the name of Revolution and Naya (new) Pakistan. Earlier government announced to form a judicial commission to look into allegations that 2013 elections were rigged — both Imran and Qadri rejected the offer doubting government’ influence on judiciary during the commission’ working. After the hours-long meetings with army chief, both are saying that army will act as a neutral umpire during the rigging investigations!
What it proves is that army is the only institution they can look for support. And exactly that’s what army wants to prove in a practical sense. Ok, point taken and proved as well, but what does this two-week long protest/sit-in has given to Pakistan. It has shown a trailer of increasing trend of fascism wherein political opponents are abused, ridiculed, where slangs and street language are given new meanings. Youth across the country are given lectures via direct telecast on ‘do or die’ strategy. PTI leaders used to defend their abusing trolls on social media that some people are using false identities to discredit PTI; now it’s proven beyond any doubt that it’s the top leadership of PTI who is setting the trends for trolls to follow.
Not only the state machinery but the whole country has been under siege by shouting, dancing and abusing gangs encircling the parliament and other government buildings in Islamabad. Are we aware that during last two weeks terrorists had attacked two air bases near Quetta, Kashmir border is again alive with almost daily shelling, Indo-Pak peace talks have been put aside, a treason case being framed against Pakistan’s high commissioner in Delhi, visits by several foreign dignitaries have been deferred, rupee again sank to its low in last few months. No one is bothered with all these developments, as we all are waiting for a Naya Pakistan.
Life goes on with the rhythm of a soft coup. All those who say army will soon be in the driving seat should know we are now entering into driverless vehicles era.
MASOOD KHAN
Jubail, Saudi Arabia
The drama being staged in Islamabad is typical of Pakstan's manipulation by foreign hands. Only a maximum of 20 thousand people are holding hostage a nation of 200 million. The scheme, ensured by the Establishment in cooperation with the foreign powers and some Pakistani disgruntled elements, is to freeze Pakistani initiatives for any improvement in economy so that the people continue to remain poor, illitarate, and suservient. The agents of status quo will take over very soon on the pretext of maintaining 'peace' in the country. This has been the pattern for imposing every martial law in the country, which always sets back the nation by decades. The interim government formed for holding elections is always heavily under control of the Establishment and is forced to do election-rigging so that later on the in-coming civilian government, may be blackmailed into exploitation by them. The basic premise s that a nuclear nation with largely illiterate and thus fanatic population cannot be allowed to make independent decisions. Now, lately, our Chinese friends have shown willingness to help Pakistan to get out of the economic morass. But some foreign powers cannot tolerate this and therefore this riot drama has been engineered to give pretext to the Establishment to seize power and bring in an IMF-subservient national governmental set-up. This whole thing may be concluded before the Chinese President's visit.
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