“From its inception Pakistan has suffered from a five-fold crisis of legitimacy, democracy, development, distribution and integration. They are organically linked, for the resolution of one crisis depends on that of another” – Eqbal Ahmad
What a man of wisdom Eqbal Ahmad was. But we are so unfortunate that this man of wisdom left the ‘Land of the Pure’ under duress; a man of his ilk was deemed to be a danger to national security.
Nothing can change us; we have disproved the dictum that ‘change is the only constant’ by having remained constantly unchanged for 70 years – with the likelihood of remaining so for many generations to come.
It would be unfair not to mention yet another miracle to our credit – we have resolved the conundrum of history that the big minds of the world could not for centuries by falsifying the enduring intellectual contestation between the linearity and cyclicality of historical progression. For us history keeps repeating itself, no matter how farcical this cyclical movement may be.
If we are so well poised to disprove all the wisdom of world, then why do we need people like Eqbal Ahmad who for no reason dare to disrupt us, turning our political serenity into chaos? They dare to question our Two-Nation Theory which is infallible. Even a modicum of criticism must, therefore, be dealt with an iron hand.
Our unequivocal euphoria of being an invincible nation knows no bounds when the defenders of faith and ideology pronounce from their pulpit the obsequies of nonconformity and critical thinking. For them it has always been legitimate to assert a brand of ideology that has been manufactured to give public legitimacy for protracted non-democratic rule – because this fortress of faith needs at least one million strong armed men to defend that supra constitutional and ultra-nationalistic ideology.
Those who think otherwise are traitors and hence must be punished. We did not even spare Nobel Laureates like Dr Abdus Salam for his non-conformity to our brand of ideology, and so we aspire to be insulated against the profanity of all types, the political, cultural and even scientific.
Contrary to what the world thinks of us, we produced hundreds of PhD scholars in the 1980s, who managed to tame demons and genies in order to work on our behalf for a prosperous Pakistan and heal the individual and collective pathologies of our society. Some of these scholars also ventured into political and strategic studies and proved in their own right the inevitability of General Zia’s rule for a strong and stable Pakistan.
What has happened thus far in this polity of puritans (not in the sense of protestant ethics but our own brand of puritanism in the service of our King Charles) proves that non-conformity is a heinous crime. The king and his nobility have a priori knowledge with self-evident propositions of faith and ideology and no one other than their chosen ones must dare venture into the domain of piety.
Awe-aspiring leaders of faith and ideology have prevailed with their Machiavellian tactics over awe-inspiring thinkers and reformers – reducing them to a bunch of traitors. What an incorrigible nation we have become, stultified by the monotony of political and intellectual life that gradually erodes our sensibilities and emasculates the womb that produced the best minds in Pakistan.
On the occasion of this year’s Defence Day we were reminded of our frivolity in the grand scheme of national interest with the same mantra of invincibility and our ability to mutilate the ulterior motives of enemies within and without. The enemies within have always been those who question the political legitimacy of the powers that be, and who want to see an egalitarian, developed and democratic Pakistan barring some extremist elements.
The unsung Eqbal Ahmad wanted to establish Khuldunia University as a research and academic centre for critical thinking but those who did not even know about the great Muslim philosopher Ibne-Khaldun denied Eqbal this and he had to leave the country for good.
Our gradual degeneration into a banana state is very much on the cards if we do not mend our ways. We need a complete reconstruction of our means of political legitimacy, socioeconomic development, resource distribution and a functional democracy. This requires contesting the discourses of jingoism by building social and political movements around issues that matter to a common Pakistani. A complete overhaul of our political system lies in building platforms for alternative voices to contest family dynasties, personality charismas and rent seekers of traditional politics.
How this will happen is a genuine question. In recent times, we have seen this happen in the remote valley of Hunza. The incarcerated political leader, Baba Jan and his comrades, held in a fabricated sedition case, have been able to attain poplar attention through engaging people in politics of genuine issues. The beauty of this movement lies in its ability to challenge the ideology of jingoism, sectarianism, tribalism and rent seeking.
There are signs of a tectonic shift in the politics of Hunza, drifting away from the clutches of the family dynasty of the Mir of Hunza and his vicegerents. The forces of alternative and democratic politics in the country need to learn a great deal from the political struggle for democracy put forth by the youth of Hunza. These young people face cases of sedition but their courage and political intrepidity is commendable.
We have to stand for democracy and endeavour to rid it of family dynasties, personality cults and plunderers of national spoils. We may face sedition charges from the guardians of faith but this sedition is worth taking for the prosperity of Pakistan.
The writer is a freelance columnist based in Islamabad. Email: ahnihal@yahoo.com
