Unending crisis reel

That Pakistan is facing multiple crises would be a huge understatement. From administrative issues to economic crises to political chaos to an increase in terrorist attacks, it seems we are caught in a vortex of crises that seems unending. And now we also have older, more systemic challenges like sectarian clashes and Baloch protests coming to the fore. The recent clashes in Parachinar over a land dispute – which has taken on sectarian hues – have claimed the lives of 49 people so far, and the protests in Gwadar, along with the heavy-handedness with which the state is dealing with them, are only adding to the country’s woes. As if these issues are not enough, the now-perpetual climate change threat is staring us right in our faces – in the latest, a 44-year record was broken as over 350mm of rainfall poured down in Lahore yesterday.

With all this going on, one would think the state would make sure its reaction calms the waters instead of making things even worse. Not so, unfortunately. Both the Parachinar law and order issue and the Baloch protests have to be handled with sensitivity and responsibility. Violence of any kind is unacceptable for a country, let alone sectarian violence in a country where we have seen how the flames of sectarianism lead to dangerous consequences. As for Balochistan, this is not the first time the Baloch have protested for their rights. This issue also needs to be handled with care. Listening to the legitimate grievances of the Baloch and sifting the real from the agenda-driven is important. This cannot happen by arresting people. The only way forward is by negotiating with protesters for their genuine and legitimate issues. It is also important that the media refrain from factually incorrect reporting on such sensitive matters, with nuance and facts being prioritized. But for that, the state needs to make sure it keeps communication networks open instead of ensuring an information blackhole which is then filled by misinformation and propaganda by all sides.

With the monsoon having reared its head, Pakistan also needs to invest in green energy and take measures to deal with the record-breaking rains, flooding and other climate change-induced natural disasters on a war footing. As for the mainstream political crisis, the government seems directionless. On the one hand, we have an opposition party that only wants to negotiate with the establishment and not with any civilian leadership, and on the other we have a government that is one day mulling banning a party and the other day inviting it to the negotiating table. The cherry on top of it all is the new clash of institutions, which cannot be fixed by coming up with laws to bulldoze Supreme Court verdicts. Instead of addressing the real issue at hand – a state beholden to elite capture and a democracy hostage to a hybrid system – the political class is busy fighting each other. The people of Pakistan are tired of being ignored, of paying an extremely high cost of living while not making enough to make ends meet, of seeing the ruling elite benefit itself, of being voiceless, of being disenfranchised – and then of being arrested when it raises its voice. It is time the government listened to the people instead of bickering over issues that do not address the grievances of the regular citizen – from the mainstream to the peripheries. Only through inclusive and empathetic governance can Pakistan hope to navigate its way out of this unending crisis reel.