But it is necessary for us to be truthful about what has happened to us in the past.
As time passes, we are bound to have regrets about how we have wasted our years as an independent country. When we look back, we are psychologically restrained from looking too intently on the loss of what was once East Pakistan and what it implied for our search for identity in a world that is forever in flux. One measure of the journey we have made is to see how a number of other countries have changed since 1947. There, for instance, is South Korea. Or China.
We, in Pakistan, have repeatedly pretended to be on the verge of making a new beginning. This is particularly so in our struggle for a truly democratic and civilian structure of governance. In that sense, we seem to be stuck in limbo at this time, not certain about who actually is in charge. But there is little confusion about the centrality of the ongoing campaign against militancy and extremism. The operation in Karachi has acquired a pivotal place in this campaign. In both cases, though, the army is visibly calling the shots.
Meanwhile, the civilian rulers are kept busy with matters of political importance, often of a transient nature. After that gruelling round of delicate negotiations to not let the National Assembly members of the PTI to be de-seated, there was this bombshell of resignations dropped by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Wednesday. It is easy to look at all this as a black comedy. Only, the threat that these manifestly expedient stratagems pose to the present democratic arrangement is very real.
Thus, the MQM resignations could be seen partly as a reincarnation of the crisis that was planted in August last year by Imran Khan. But Imran Khan had played a much longer innings and his agitation became another August feature to be remembered. There was breathless speculation recently about who or what was behind ‘dharna’ and if there was a plan to topple the government of Nawaz Sharif.
Indeed, the ‘dharna’ spectacle, bolstered by the sit-in staged by Dr Tahirul Qadri, constitutes a significant chapter in Pakistan’s political history. Thanks to its extravagant, almost obsessive, coverage by the electronic media, it held the nation hostage for months – until the unspeakable atrocity of December 16, 2014 prompted its suspension. It now seems hard to believe that Imran Khan’s politics in August last year had created so much sound and fury.
We still have a half of this August in reserve. What more has it in store for us, considering the tempo that is rising on so many fronts? Karachi is likely to be the scene of action. There are some hints of disarray within the Pakistan People’s Party administration of Sindh, despite Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s brave show this week to convey the message that he has taken charge of the party and has stepped out of the shadow of his father.
With all this in August’s hamper, I have saved for the last one powerful portrayal of what is happening in and to Pakistan. It caught the attention of the nation in early August and must have unsettled all sensitive individuals. I am referring, evidently, to the child sex abuse case that has brought a village in Kasur to global attention. The story has many different dimensions. It was some years ago that the major crimes of child abuse and the making of videos of the heinous acts to blackmail the families were first committed.
For once, the media played a positive role by revealing the mind-boggling sweep of the evil deeds. But the real story here is about the state of our society in the specific context of how the underclass in our rural, feudalistic hinterland is oppressed by the system. To a considerable extent, the poor and the underprivileged have been abandoned by the government and they must suffer all kinds of abuse and humiliation.
Now, when the MQM resigned from the assemblies on Wednesday, the Kasur story was simply swept aside. That is how a political development can easily block out every other concern, including hard issues that impact the lives of millions and millions of Pakistan’s citizens. Evidence that the Pakistani society has almost lost its equilibrium is mounting but our rulers do not seem to have the capacity to deal with what is building into a perfect storm.
Which politician would be assigned the task of negotiating with that storm?
The writer is a staff member.
Email: ghazi_salahuddinhotmail.com