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Friday March 29, 2024

Encounters with abroad

Vindicated by the report of the judicial commission, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif now sees the opportunity for a new beginning. But what will have to end in Pakistan’s politics before a new beginning is possible? It is in this context that the focus remains on Imran Khan, who has apparently

By Ghazi Salahuddin
July 26, 2015
Vindicated by the report of the judicial commission, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif now sees the opportunity for a new beginning. But what will have to end in Pakistan’s politics before a new beginning is possible? It is in this context that the focus remains on Imran Khan, who has apparently scored an own goal. And we still have to figure out the dilemma of what will truly constitute a new beginning for Pakistan.
When we look back at the political strife of the past year, it becomes difficult to believe that, in a collective sense, we have the time or the capacity to think seriously about Pakistan’s existential problems. Just recall the passions that had been set alight by the ‘dharna’ spectacle, set to music by an underpaid DJ. The tone was set by Imran Khan himself. In some ways, its philosophical underpinning was provided by the likes of Shaikh Rashid. The supporting cast included the firebrand of the stature of Dr Tahirul Qadri.
Unfortunately, this was not just a grand carnival for the nation’s amusement. It almost wrecked the entire arrangement. A process of destabilisation was set into motion. The goal ostensibly was to overthrow the government of Nawaz Sharif through popular agitation. An attempt was made to invade parliament and it intriguingly became possible for a rowdy mob to enter the premises of the Pakistan Television and the transmission was briefly interrupted.
Indeed, a detailed account of how the movement against the allegedly planned rigging in the general elections of May 2013 was launched by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and how it was played out in the mass media and hence in the minds of the ordinary people would be very instructive in understanding the Pakistani society and its pathological preoccupation with politics. It may be the same in many other countries but Pakistan remains singularly deprived of intellectual and moral competence to be able to look beyond partisan politics.
Incidentally, I have spent the past five magical weeks in southern California and the seasonal family reunion may have enhanced my emotional distance from Pakistan. Now, however, I am all set to return to the vagaries of my normal existence. This experience of travelling abroad is very common these days, particularly for ageing parents whose children are settled in North America or Europe. That separations of all kinds have been transformed virtually in this digital age is an added dimension of this phenomenon.
Still, we need to explore some aspects of Pakistan’s encounters with abroad in the context of our national sense of direction. What do we learn from these encounters? Why do we appear to be so insulated from the world at large at the intellectual level when our personal, economic and emotional linkages with other countries are so extensive?
We are constantly reminded of the value of home remittances from Pakistanis living abroad. The diaspora is generally applauded for its affection for Pakistan, though it may often be just reconditioned nostalgia. In any case, there are large enough communities of our expatriates in some places for visiting leaders to address. Many years ago, I had called them ‘absentee patriots’ and in recent years there has been a discussion on whether they should be allowed to vote in Pakistan’s general elections – irrespective of how flawed these elections have been.
I should resist from going any further in this direction because of such possible detours as the enigma of dual nationalities in the higher ranks of our society and the desperate search for a refuge in some foreign countries among lower and middle-class youth in response to intimations of disorder at home. My thoughts at present mainly pertain to the latest political developments in Pakistan and a subjective element is injected in these observations by my absence from the country.
Nawaz Sharif has a reason to state that “the chapter of smears and allegations must now close forever”. Forever? What has happened to compel such a transformation? Yes, we have so much else to do than engage in a shouting match. Yet, the dominant preoccupation of the news channels is to continue to chew the political cud.
One would have thought that December 16 was not just a game-changer but some kind of a divine message for Pakistan to change its course in a historical sense. It did compel (or allow) Imran Khan to call off his ‘dharna’ campaign but he essentially remained the same politician playing the same game. Only the military was shaken into planned action against the militants. But overall, this battle for Pakistan’s survival has not led to any fundamental modification of our policies. In short, we are not making a new beginning.
Since I am removed from the scene of action in Pakistan for this short period, I am more conscious of the fact that the coverage of the outside world in our mainstream media is woefully, even criminally, deficient. I see it as a reflection of our lack of interest in information, knowledge and scholarship. When it comes to foreign coverage, our news channels spend more time picking nonsensical trivia than in trying to interpret events and issues that make international headlines.
Take the example of the deal on Iran’s nuclear programme. It has heralded a new era and though we have seen a number of statements on what it might mean for Pakistan, there is little evidence of think tanks and study circles of different political persuasions doing their job to inform our national policies. In reality, certain aspects that should relate to our relations with India and the Arab world – mainly, Saudi Arabia – are not evident in public discourse.
President Obama, facing criticism over the Iran deal, made this remark that I find quite meaningful: “You don’t make deals like this with your friends”. As for friends, I did not find any reverberations in the Pakistani media over Saudi documents that were released recently by WikiLeaks. Last week, there was a detailed report in the New York Times with this headline: ‘A Saudi Obsession With Politics and Religion’.
Let me quote the intro: “For decades, Saudi Arabia has poured billions of its oil dollars into sympathetic Islamic organisations around the world, quietly practicing checkbook diplomacy to advance its agenda”. Our leaders, confronting the reality of religious radicalism, seem more worried by the influence of international NGOs promoting a different agenda.
So, how do we make a new beginning? That we are unable to educate ourselves about the major developments that are shaping the world is only a part of the problem. Prime-time talk shows on our news channels will tell you how our destiny is being formed.
The writer is a staff member.
Email: ghazi_salahuddin@hotmail.com