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I, LIKE so many others of my generation, have spent a lifetime questioning the policies of the Pakistani establishment which have violated the Constitution, suppressed dissent, and promoted a culture of indecent societal privileges, violence, and poverty. That this questioning was and is the result of a strong sense of patriotism is becoming increasingly difficult to understand in the Pakistan of today.
In addition, I feel an unease that I do not know or can only guess at regarding state policies. For instance, I do not know what the Kashmir policy of the government is apart from the statements and demonstrations that take place regularly in support of the Kashmiris.
Because of conflicting news items and speeches, I do not know if we are still pursuing strategic depth in Afghanistan. I know from official statements that we will not allow our land to be used in any regional conflict, but I do know that we have a military presence at different locations in the region. I know that Saudi Arabia prevented us from participating in the Islamic conference in Malaysia, but I do not know what leverage was used to prevent our participation.
I know of disappearances, but I can only guess at the reasons why they take place. However, I do not know where the disappeared persons are taken to and under what conditions they are subsequently released. I can only guess as to why we cannot have a regular census and why the census results are so obviously manipulated. I read different views regarding CPEC; some opposing it are presented in detail with statistics. However, they are neither confirmed nor denied in statistical terms by the establishment.
How does one make sense of the policies of today?
Through a hurriedly constructed process, the retiring age of the chiefs of the armed forces has been increased from 60 to 64. If expediency demands, can the age be increased or decreased again through a similar process?
I do not know how the government has settled matters with international financial institutions for failed projects such as the Left Bank and Right Bank Outfall Drains, nor do I know the details of the loans that the World Bank has given for Karachi’s development and nor do I know the design and implementation process for the projects that have been identified. I do know that the coal project in Thar is devastating the district, but I do not know why and how a decision to use coal for energy purposes was taken when the world is moving away from it.
I do know the nature of blasphemy laws in Pakistan and the immense suffering they impose on those who are accused, but I do not know why they languish in jail for years without a decision being taken on their fate. Is it only because of the inefficiency of the legal system?
I do know that land on the periphery of our cities is being acquired through a terrible process of coercion by developers and the Defence Housing Authority, causing immense ecological damage and promoting poverty, but I can only guess as to why this cannot be prevented. People die regularly in police encounters, but I can only guess the reasons for them and the chain of command through which they are executed.
I do not know the reality of the Balochistan ‘insurgency’ because contradictory statements regarding it appear in the media and from the politicians of the province.
Meanwhile, thousands die every year in preventable road and rail accidents and floodings while fires engulf factories periodically, killing hundreds of workers. Buildings approved by the local authorities collapse, killing the residents. Newly constructed infrastructure is washed out by rains never to be reconstructed again. Government hospitals have no medicines, equipment, or manpower and private sector facilities are unaffordable so people are increasingly turning to pirs and jadu tona for relief. Health and education budgets lapse, while civil society and planners scream for additional funds for these sectors.
As women’s independence increases, so do honour killings. The intellectuals and media of this country have failed to promote new societal values to make the changes taking place acceptable.
Commercial development on amenity plots by developers and encroachments by the influential on illegally acquired public land get regularised, but katchi abadis and commercial activities of the poor are regularly bulldozed, often through court orders. The list of issues is endless.
Dominating this whole scenario are our political representatives who with a few exceptions, have promoted a crude, irrational, and abusive political culture which has filtered down to our electronic media. This, and the fact of what one does not know, are the cause of the unease I had mentioned earlier.
The only hope for a better civilian-dominated Pakistan is a new leadership that I feel can only be born through the creation and nurturing of unions at educational institutions.
Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2020
