Growth Through Adversity

Lacking a magic potion, the way forward is to allow the natural political evolution to continue and reach its logical conclusion 

I couldn’t write last Sunday because I was cogitating in Karachi,  where everyone asked only one question: “What is the way forward?” It is a near impossible question to answer about a State made virtually dysfunctional by the “beauty of sham democracy” over the last decade and is now facing serious existential crises. Bombast and bluster will not do; a magic potion there is none.

The big crises are of ideological, political and economic integrity. Such crises are being faced by many other States as well; even the more developed older ones. Don’t tell me the UK doesn’t face political and economic crises because of BREXIT and the EU doesn’t face such crises for the same reason. Similarly the USA faces crises after the election of that pervert, the erratic Trump. It is such things that trigger historical forces to move faster and change the world’s status quo, as they have done before. Historical forces are like a huge tidal wave and anyone who stands in their way simply gets swept to oblivion. Sceptical? Tell me where’s the Soviet Union and its satellites now, or East Germany, or, closer to home, united India and East Pakistan? Where is the fabled State of Medina that was a model for all states and whose principles still hold as true as they did then. Gone with
he wind! So, my fellow citizens, boys and girls, some humility is in order if we are to save ourselves.

For Pakistanis lacking solutions, the best way forward is to snatch growth and prosperity out of the jaws of adversity (and God knows we have suffered more than our fair share of it) and allow our natural political evolution to continue and reach its logical conclusion. We’ve seen a lot of change in the last few years. The MQM that had taken Karachi hostage is in self-destruct mode; the PPP has shrunk from a national to a sub-provincial party; the PML-N has lost its godfather and is in grave danger of following on the heels of the PPP:  when Ali Baba goes the 40 thieves soon follow. The PTI is rising but whether this is for our good or not time will tell. The judiciary has found its independence and accountability of the powerful has commenced; the army has realized that it is not cut out to rule directly because it does not have the needed solutions. So let the evolutionary process grind on because only then change will be lasting and have roots and acceptability. Sure, they grind exceedingly fine,  but we have to suffer more pain to wrest good out of adversity.

Improve the human condition and the people will be the state’s best protectors for they will have too much of at
stake.

The only way to make your state strong is to rule well and give the people what they need. Improve the human condition and the people will be the state’s best protectors for they will have too much of it at stake. Always, repeat ALWAYS, beware of the hegemon and don’t get into fights that are not yours. Don’t ever lose hope, for to lose hope is to lose faith in your Creator.

An example of our loss of faith is to allow Nawaz Sharif and his daughter to go to London while serious corruption cases are going on against them. What guarantee that they will return? If the reason is humanitarian, to see their ailing wife and mother, how about those blighters rotting in jail who are not allowed parole to see their ailing mothers or even attend their funerals? My fear – it’s only a fear but a justified one — that the authorities may have decided that the Sharifs on the lam will be less pain than the Sharifs in jail.

There could be more. Surprise, surprise, Nawaz’s best Indian friend Narendra Modi is also in London to attend CHOGUM. ‘Coincidentally’ Sharif’s party stalwarts are also there for the same reason. Could there be another ‘London Plan’ hatching to force the army’s hand  which, despite opportunities it is doing its best to stay its hand. They could cause a crisis that would force the army’s hand. That would be bad, for the army has no solutions as we have seen with four army governments earlier: very good first three years; then comes the desire of dictators to become democrats and they start supping with the devil and are trashed. In return they leave us with odious political leaders who have brought us to this sorry pass: Bhutto’s daughter, son in law Zardari and now Boy Bilawal who has to be seen and heard to be believed, Nawaz Sharif Inc., Altaf Hussain who destroyed Karachi and other smaller minions who have created no less damaging effects.

Further confusing was the financial amnesty scheme permitting peopleto bring back money from overseas and pay only 2 – 5% tax to whiten it from black and no questions asked

To compound the confusion, shots were fired at Supreme Court Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan’s house in Lahore one night and then again in the morning. His is a crucial role in Nawaz Sharif’s trials. One bullet hit his kitchen door; one was found on his driveway. “It must have been a stray bullet” said the stupid authorities that claim that terrorism has been eradicated. If there are stray bullets flying around who pray will come to Pakistan? The judge’s house is in a high security area and on the same road close to a Sharif residence. Even a stray dog cannot pass there, leave alone a stray bullet.

Further confusing was the financial amnesty scheme permitting people to bring back money from overseas and pay only 2 – 5% tax to whiten it from black and no questions asked. What the government is really doing is to legitimize money laundering and corruption thus making official what was unofficial: morph Pakistan into a criminal enterprise.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. Imran Khan hit an unexpected six by naming, shaming and throwing out 20 members of his KPK provincial assembly for selling their votes for the selection of baboons who go to make up our Senate. Wow! He has set the morality bar high for all to jump over. They better not try for they would be in acute danger of losing their own corrupt party leaders.