To say that my homeland, Pakistan, is going through difficult times would, indeed, be an understatement of colossal proportions. On the other hand, someone may be equally right in pointing out that when has Pakistan not been through difficult times? According to Ayub Khan he marshalled the first military coup to over come some serious difficulties. Bhutto continued with martial law after the breakaway of East Pakistan, to form Bangladesh, because the country was going through difficult times. Zia ul Haq overthrew Bhutto to settle the situation and difficulties caused by the political turmoil from rigged elections. Musharaf while not faced with difficult times in the country was encountering a difficult relationship with Nawaz Shareef hence he stepped in.
Now we stand at the familiar cross roads under the road signs of 'difficult times' yet again. Political chaos, an erosion of the principles of the rule of law, an economic implosion and a near anarchy situation has polarised the country. The edifice of the Constitution has been trampled upon with no recourse to a remedy other than the superior courts warning that the death knell of constitutionalism is around the corner. Sadly we, as a nation, are reduced to solely relying on a bench of judges to remedy 75 years of mismanagement. As we grapple with form and substance of the government we choose, or not choose, to govern us, we can only be reminded that perhaps we have held a fake democracy close to our hearts. with political movements masquerading as political parties it is no surprise that the three major claimants to our votes lack the political organisation of student union body in any developed democracy.
As we stand today, two of the provinces of the country have essentially illegal caretaker governments in place. Human rights have become all the non existent and the rule and writ of the law is entirely whimsical to those who rule the country. A protest, which unnecessarily became violent, (not the first time in Pakistan) suddenly is equated with terrorism and with lines drawn so hard between all the stakeholders its now a show down between 'them and us'. Is it necessary that we in Pakistan have to push our already broken down cart of democracy to the edge of the ravine each time we cannot sit across the table and talk things out? If Martin Luther King was right that 'the riot is the language of the unheard' then we must ask what is the language of imprisoned and tortured nation? This is so because in Pakistan we have gone miles beyond being 'unheard'. Disappearances, wanton arrests, and a total disregard for accepting what is right have become the order of the day.
The blame of this rests upon the shoulders of the nation as a whole. Every institution, every political party, every state organisation, from the army, to the civil service to the bureaucracy carries their share of the blame. The politicians carry the blame for letting things slip so far that their only course of action is to play the blame game. Indeed Imran Khan, once seen as the possible guide to lead the country out of the mess, seems to have floundered in his way. The strange parallel one can draw between Imran Khan's political path and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's is that both had noble principles yet both lacked the ability to understand the process they are governed by. Revolutions without bloodshed do not happen, and neither are they needed or possible in Pakistan. We need a revolution in the mind and an evolution of process that can peacefully, and perhaps in stages, shape the country to a better path. Like Bhutto, Imran Khan too perhaps feels charisma and mass support are enough to change things. Yes they are important and vital ingredients in the mix but a solid team, dialogue, and the ability to carry people with you, even those who do not agree with you, is something that has been lacking.
We stand now wondering how many more pages of our constitution will be ripped up. How utilitarian will our moth eaten parliament become in the absence of a sitting opposition (for which PTI must carry its share of the blame). Will this scotched taped government of parties that normally would be at each others throats, try and survive and prolong its stay far beyond it was welcome? Imran Khan bereft of his once passionate supporting cast of political figures, most of whom have either deserted him or forced to dump him, must now wonder if the script could indeed have been written differently. Perhaps sitting on the opposition benches would have blunted the teeth of this emerging oligarchy?
Yet sitting distantly away from the turmoils of the country, one can only hope that sanity will prevail in these 'difficult times'. While immediate free and fair elections is the only way forward there is an urgent need to listen to the courts, to establish the rule of law and to stop making a mockery of the constitution. The consequences of further polarisation will not only be dramatic but they will also be dangerous. Imran must walk his distance to the negotiation table as indeed must the other parties and the establishment. They all must remember they are merely trustees of the nation which in the end belongs to the people.
