Is the pot being stirred?

In some ways, the violent deaths of a politically and socially prominent couple in Karachi, on Thursday, synchronised with the popular mood of alarm and anticipation. Its initial sense of mystery led to a lot of speculation. As it is, the people are always enthralled by any explicit

peep into the lives of the rich and famous.

At another level, the murder-suicide episode of Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, a minister in the PPP government of Sindh, and his wife Fariha Razak – who had also been a member of the Sindh Assembly and had a stint in the media – underlined some salient aspects of our politics.

Then, on the same day, the Supreme Court in Islamabad convicted Senator Nehal Hashmi, of Nawaz Sharif’s party, of committing contempt of court. His unconditional apology was dismissed and he was sent to jail for one month and disqualified from holding any public office for five years. He was found guilty of a tirade against the judiciary he made eight months ago.

This judgment, which has invited a lot of comment – even in the legal domain – has been followed by contempt notices to two other leaders of the PML-N, Talal Chaudhry and Daniyal Aziz. Unlike Nehal Hashmi, who had exploded in a rather freak outburst, Talal and Daniyal have important positions in the party and have consistently served as the party’s spokesmen. It will be interesting to see if these critical initiatives will have any impact on the idiom that is used in PML-N’s denunciation of the verdict against Nawaz Sharif that is seen in a conspiratorial context.

Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif himself was in Karachi this week and he addressed a number of meetings to carry forward his message of defiance. Though it is more of the same, he seems to have become more coherent and has obviously gained confidence after the support he was able to draw in public meetings in Punjab, irrespective of the noxious polarisation that has afflicted our politics.

That the leader of a party that is essentially right of centre, with its base in Punjab, would take on the powers that be in this manner is a major development in Pakistan’s politics. The fact that Nawaz Sharif, who was nurtured in the corridors of power, is able to mobilise an impressively large number of supporters is a bit surprising.

It is also significant that Nawaz Sharif’s opposition, led by Imran Khan, has momentarily lost the momentum that was seen to be building up in collaboration with Tahirul Qadri, who had created sparks in the past and many observers were unrealistically expecting him to create big trouble for rulers in Punjab. For whatever reasons, the Lahore debacle has dampened the spirits of the opposition and Tahirul Qadri has again taken a flight out of Pakistan.

So much so that Sheikh Rashid has broken his promise to resign from the National Assembly. You should recall his wild histrionics in that Lahore jalsa when he had sent ‘laa’nat’ on the National Assembly and had said that he was stepping out of it. As an aside, one truly marvels at the admiration that a leader of Imran Khan’s potential and stature has for someone like Sheikh Rashid. He even emulated him in his Lahore speech and repeated the curse on the legislature.

With all this happening in the political arena, there is a new surge of disquiet across various sections of society on a variety of issues. The tragedy of Kasur’s Zainab has brought the issue of child abuse to the fore and hardly a day passes when there is no news of a similar incident in different parts of the country. On Friday, the body of a seven-year-old boy who had been raped was found in an under-construction building in Karachi.

The issue of extrajudicial killings has gained a sense of urgency in the wake of the murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud, allegedly by SSP Rao Anwar and his police team who are reputed for similar exploits. Rao Anwar has emerged as a dramatic figure and since he is absconding a search to find him is spectacular because of the possible involvement of his powerful backers.

So, with all this happening around, is the pot being stirred? What I am suggesting is that one has to stir the pot to bring those issues to the surface that are generally settled at the bottom. It is in this process of raising issues that people are prompted to look at things in a different way. And when you stir the pot, you never know what will come up.

One important question to be raised is whether the disparate instances of outrage and agitation over a growing number of issues can coalesce into what social scientists call, an accelerator. Is all this moving towards some movement of a revolutionary nature? What is the game plan of those who profess to have the capacity to dominate the course of events? What role will the likes of Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the leader of the Faizabad sit-in, play in the unfolding scenario?

Be that as it may, Nawaz Sharif is expected to remain at the heart of the political clash that is now building up. Social issues, regional confrontations and local grievances are also likely to have an impact on the dynamics of the politics that our leaders are playing at this time. The nation is about to enter the election mode and the tempo, that is already quite high, must further rise.

It is instructive to realise that almost all the issues that are now on the surface were always there, but little attention was being paid to the kind of threat they posed to our security and well-being. There was this incredible revelation of sexual abuse of children in Kasur in 2015 on a massive scale, and it faded out of our minds. Rao Anwar was doing what he did to Naqeebullah for a long time and one knew about it, but it seemed like business as usual.

One might say that it is the media’s job to stir the pot and raise questions. But let us leave this debate for another day. For the time being, let us just hope that those who are stirring the pot have a tight grip on the handle.

The writer is a senior journalist.

Email: ghazi_salahuddin@hotmail.com