There are many things that, if indulged in repeatedly, become a habit with time. Ingrained in values and principles, such habits contribute to the good that is fast vanishing, but if rooted in deceit and falsehood, these become the bane of societal existence. Mostly, this leads to intolerance which sparks a process instilling decay, decadence and violence.
In certain circumstances, although one may be inclined to speak one’s mind, a culture of restraint impedes the way, thus restricting the path to potential human growth. Consequently, one is constrained to operate within a self-imposed limited ambit. Such species may be close to becoming an extinct commodity as the tradition of restraint has long been replaced with the might-is-right syndrome. During a typical day, one does come across such people struggling to find a meagre place for their sustenance. Unfortunate that it may be, but it is a stark reality that we live to endure.
The broad contours of this division also highlight the contrasting elements of good and bad, right and wrong, beneficence and maleficence. This division has both individual and institutional relevance, which casts a shadow on societal growth and the progress of people within the overall framework. Very little, if any at all, attention has been paid to this aspect. Consequently, the situation has continued to deteriorate with time, thus setting up barriers in the way of shaping the destiny of people, particularly those segments who have regulated themselves based on moral values.
Society has thus become an unequal and inequitable ground for people. In the absence of regulatory institutional mechanisms based on an all-encompassing value structure and guided by the intrinsic ingredients of personalised whims, they either take the illicit path to riches or struggle to survive in a destitute state. While the damage it accrues to individuals may be limited to their personal lives and the lives of those close to them, its institutional relevance can have a far-reaching impact on the entire societal growth.
The Pakistani landscape has been profoundly affected by this significant phenomenon. Institutions have been manipulated through Machiavellian scheming aimed at perpetuating the status quo, which advances the interests of the beneficiary elite at the expense of the legitimate interests and concerns of the rest of society. While this practice has been prevalent through all phases of our national life in varying degrees, the intensity and ferocity with which it is being practised in the current times is harrowing. In the process, the constitution, rule of law and democratic principles do not figure in a healthy discourse as if these were wasteful items deserving to be kicked out.
Instead of standing on three independent pillars as enshrined in the constitution – legislature, judiciary, executive – the state now rests on the last-mentioned crutch alone, with the other two having been duly discarded. While the legislature has succumbed to its traditional proclivities of being the handmaiden of the executive, the judiciary lies buried under the weight of the 26th Amendment. The state apparatus is being used with impunity to silence the few independent voices which still resonate in the emptiness of judicial spaces.
The breakdown of the system has rendered the state utterly nonfunctional. One is lost where to begin in describing the grossness of failures which have afflicted it through decades since its creation as an independent country. With time, the gravity of these failures has only intensified, instilling a sense of loss and dispiritedness. Those who seek justice from the state receive disdainful treatment devoid of even the most human values; those who need some opportunities for bare survival are scorned at; and those who want to guard their dignity and self-respect are lectured about ways for selling their souls for a price. Such are the times when life becomes an unbearable burden and a living, unceasing torture.
The vestibule containing the ingredients for this waywardness refuses to break. In fact, it gets heavier with the mounting pile of ego, hubris, arrogance and a variety of other such ailments. With firm control having been enforced over the state operational system and all avenues for seeking justice having been blocked, it appears that the prevalent kind of dispensation may become a perpetuating phenomenon for the foreseeable future, with petty and self-serving interests digging deeper into the national stock of assets.
It is time we stopped casting stones in others’ direction and started looking inwards to find the reasons that have brought us to this brink. With the constitution, rule of law and justice having been consigned to the litter box, the national edifice appears to be crashing down. With no reference to the statute book, the entire system at present rests on the whims and fancies of a few who have manoeuvred to wrest the instruments of power into their own hands.
One understands that the prevalent circumstances do not provide for an ideal recipe to manage a state which inherently suffers from divisive influences, and which has often been targeted by adversarial forces from abroad. In such situations, there is even a greater need for cohesion within so that the looming challenges could be addressed effectively with full national might. That is what we should be stressing upon at this critical juncture in our history.
If that were to become an objective, which it should without hesitation, full focus should be paid to taking small steps towards forging unity and homogeneity. This will not come about if some forces within the country continue to be targeted on account of a differing opinion they may have regarding the way things are being managed. A genuine process of reconciliation envisages collecting all stakeholders on one platform, some of which may even have divergent understanding about how to resolve outstanding issues. Unfortunately, the national landscape currently does not appear to envision such a possibility.
In situations like this one, the need is not to show bravado, but flexibility. We should think of taking a step back and measuring the benefits of unity and cohesion against the challenges of discord and division.
There has also been much talk of engagement. This should move beyond the polemical domain with serious and meaningful steps initiated to facilitate such engagement. That is the only way to bring down the barriers of mistrust and replace them with the benefits of collective wisdom for the welfare of the country and its suffering multitudes.
The writer is a political and security strategist and the founder of the Regional Peace Institute. He is a former special assistant to former PM Imran Khan and heads the PTI’s policy think-tank. He tweets @RaoofHasan
