Selective justice

CCTV footage of former Sargodha University CEO Mian Javed, who died in custody last week, has sent shock waves across the country about the state of human rights in Pakistan. The manner in which the university official was treated indicates that our sense of humanity has been compromised.

In a yet-to-be-established case, the university official was kept in chains and handcuffs. I don’t mean to either favour corruption or defend the alleged involvement of the deceased university official in embezzling millions of rupees. However, the sheer disdain for human life is appalling.

Legal matters take their own course in dispensing justice on the basis of merit. But when accountability becomes an instrument of selective punishment, justice loses its essence of universality and fair play. Selective accountability has been one of the most damming facts of our political history and continues to plague our political culture.

Indeed, it has become more visible and intense today than before, especially when it comes to the ‘political lynching’ of dissenting voices. In reality, the sloganeering of Naya Pakistan seems to be equated to a country without inclusive justice, economic strategy and critical reflection.

In our obsession to enforce selective accountability, it seems as if we have trespassed into all those domains of indignation that were once the preserve of autocratic kingdoms of the dark ages.

This incident has made it clear that we don’t think about how we treat a person in our bid to assert control, and impose order and silence as a new political reality. It is unfortunate that even this tragic episode did not stir our numb senses and awaken humanity – if it still governs our politics.

No matter how many universities we build and how much we spend on education, we have lost sight of ethics, civility, humanity and empathy – the key principles of an inclusive and democratic society. Unfortunately, the surreal world of power is shaping a new era of fascism.

Our values and teaching of peace and tolerance have unleashed a new reign of terror against those who transgress our way of political piety. If we knew any better, we would understand that peace can never be achieved through suppression and silence.

If this is our much-avowed commitment to justice and accountability, we are certainly not moving in the right direction. There is much more to be desired for accountability to work in this country.

It doesn’t reside with NAB, with its tarnished image of being a politically-motivated institution. Those who watched the heartwrenching footage of the university official’s chained body on their TV screens or on social media will easily rank Pakistan as a living hell for those who speak sense.

Are we moving towards a fascist political future? This is the first question that some of the country’s educated minds ask. Well, not all educated minds take issue with our sharp political drift towards a right-wing, fascist future because they still have some hope from the man at the helm.

Our young generation has seen loot, plunder and unending tirades of corruption. For them, the advent of a messianic character who will put things in order appears to be a viable political alternative.

But we cannot blame the youth of this country for gravitating towards the political rhetoric of change, no matter who promises it or what it entails. Having grown up amid despair, hopelessness and corruption under the political rule of family dynasties, the youth of this country doesn’t have many political choices to exercise.

A beacon of hope was lit by the anti-corruption rhetoric that was consistently pedalled by the PTI leadership. But even this slogan is fast losing its lustre, partly because of a visible lack of political commitment towards inclusive accountability.

The apprehensions of becoming a fascist nation are not unrealistic in the political landscape of intolerance, rebukes and the naked use of power to undermine every form of political opposition.

In an autocratic rule characterised by a bullying coterie of ministers and self-proclaimed men of piety, anything that could be construed as reasonable and sensible becomes a life-threatening proposition.

It has been normalised to such an extent that we aren’t perturbed when a minister or his/her associates manhandle citizens. Anyone who doesn’t to conform to this unidimensional political piety is either deemed an enemy of order or a sympathiser of some corrupt politician.

No matter how sensible and cogent your arguments for democracy are, you are doomed to be ruined if they invoke the wrath of the political rule of narcissists. The increasing narcissism of our politicos has plagued the system of governance. It has become all the more pronounced under the PTI government.

The fear of losing is more painful than being a loser. A loser can be content with the fortunes in his/her possession through the hope to fight back. The fear of being a loser makes one’s life a miserable journey of hypocrisy and discomfort. In the real world, everyone has been a loser and a winner at some stage of his/her life. Those who resist being losers can fall prey to

becoming the cannon fodder for others to win.

Life is too short to be wasted on a game of winning or losing as human beings have a lot more to do than fulfil a capricious wish to be seen as winners. My victory may come at the cost of a defeat or a deceitful act that makes someone lose.

In the game theory of winning and losing, we have perhaps lost the essence of politics as an art of statecraft and good governance. What remains are merely the tricks of optics. Humility has long been put to eternal rest. With the former Sargodha University CEO’s body, we have also buried part of our sense of humanity.

The writer is a senior socialdevelopment and policy adviser, and a freelance columnist based in Islamabad.

Email: ahnihal@yahoo.com

Twitter: @AmirHussain76