Power Politics: The Downfall of Pakistan

 

The chaotic situation in the country

To the name of people who are entangled in the black clouds of poverty, politics, misery, military, dystopia, and 24-hour donkey work.

One of the attention-grabbing dialogues from Peaky Blinders is, "Kids these days don't fight back that's why people walk over them". Mulling over again and again, let me go to no where. What was the obscure substance in it? Why did it hit me so hard that I couldn't get over what the protagonist stated? After diving into the depth of wisdom, although said by Slavoj Žižek, 

Wisdom is the most disgusting thing. 

I got the conclusion: being disseminated when you progress gingerly with the notion of mine. Our old folks are from the generation who were guided by the British cunning gentleman. They only followed the order dictated to them by the upper hand without a second rational thought on the pragmatic consequences of it. Man is greedy by nature and who doesn't like money? The upper hand used our resources and land being dished out to us like a beggar is given some portion of money and food because of his wretched condition. Alas! We were terrorized to the extent that any revolt like that of 1857 can't be happened again. This was the tactic of the British to control the people by fear which we can call "Rule by fear" - also a title of a famous book by Amar Ali Jan, we will discuss it further. Although with the cease of this intense terrifying regime, a hope of freedom was seen with the birth of an independent state which was later addressed as Pakistan.

 

British Legacy and Pakistan

The legacy of what the British did has been inherited by the upper hand in Pakistan. They know our weaknesses and using them as a weapon they control and exploit us from the above. What is the power in fact? If someone asks this brain teaser from you, what would you reply? Is it about acquiring what you want to, or to kowtow your enemy in front of you, or is it something imaginary thing being created by the elite class to get a hold of the nation, or is it something that you posit to make others dread of you, so he can't make a stand in opposite. Get dived into your thoughts and grasp the answer from there. In accordance with my mentation, Power is in fact an illusion being created to control the people beneath, the true power is always grasped by someone who is deceptive: not being seen by your frontal eyes. An irrefutable example is the presidents of most countries, who indeed represent their respective res publica but are the puppets of their actual master who is like a dark shadow, watching all their movements.

 

Corrupt Politicians, a myth or reality?

We are being controlled in a manner that we ourselves don't know about the force controlling our psychomotor. We are merely stuck in the debate of corrupt politicians, the only perturbation seen by people in Pakistan. Once I had a discussion with my family, on the topic of the current issue faced by Pakistan, and the phenomenon of corrupt politicians had also been implanted in the deep-rooted thinking of them. I just smiled at them and got silent, and it is a fact in our society that if you know too much it is good to be silent, lest you want yourself to be disappeared. Those who stand against the wind always face the music. But a gradual silent revolt can also be prepared by educating our surroundings and making them realize to whom they should have to fight: rather than moving directionless it is more preferred to move in a particular one. I know the ground reality of things to some extent, and the factors that make me able to empathize with society always hold my hand and guide me to the right. I have passed a lot of suffering, thereby in order to understand the crux of something you need two things either the personal experience or the levels to understand things. Alas less people have both. Let's resume our problematic phrase of a corrupt politician. As said by Amar Ali Jan in his book Rule by Fear chapter 1st (War of Narratives),

 The ruling elites conveniently keep the public's eye on manufactured enemies whose elimination appears as a possible solution to the country's woes. 

On another point he says, 

The bigger tragedy is that the fixation of individuals prevents us from identifying, let alone debating, the different mechanisms through which ordinary Pakistanis are exploited. There is hardly any discussion on the direction of the country's economy, which is run by an exclusive group of technocrats inspired by the neoliberal Washington Consensus and who occupy key decision-making positions in every government. 

These dialogues are self-evident that what we are collectively facing is the worst democratic deterioration of the century. We all know the problems so where does the solution reside? Listening to the intel’s on Geo News, fueled the fire inside my heart, but what can be done said by my mind. We all listen to the news of kidnapping, rape, robbery, divorce, adultery, murder, and all sorts of devilish acts done by people and for a spick and span of time our cardio goes fierce by the situation happening in Pakistan. But what's next, are we doing anything to change the current system paved for us by the bigwigs of society? We get to sleep and the next day we forget all the societal problems we saw yesterday because we have some bigger problem called "My problems". When these terms become "Our problem" then you are the true resident of this republic. Everyone is good at lip servicing or discussing the genuine problem with the tea sips. Things must have to break the common sense of society, although I expect to change things externally, but at least everyone must have a conscience that forces him to give dissenting opinions on evil deeds, or he must stand against it internally. The battle inside is needed to win first then the battle outside. We are good at turning a blind eye because these are the only things we have been taught by our home, if not then by others. Because we don't want to indulge ourselves in others' matters. If truth be told this is the commence of the fall of humanity towards deterioration.

Chronicles of Pakistan

The current situation in Pakistan cannot be understood without knowing what happened in the past with us. In the era where the battle of ideas is at its apex, it is a piece of cake to win a war of ideas against anyone by snatching the past of them. So, the corollary here is: the future is linked with the present and the present is linked with the past. Thereby, reminiscence of the past is as important as oxygen for our living. Being a writer it is a perplexing task to give you an account of history in one paragraph, but it is challenging and I must have to drink this bitter draught, let's commence from 1947, after independence; the first and foremost challenge we have faced is having no constitution, the first fundamental law being implemented on the account of our genuine law was being given to us in 1956, were we slumbering till before that, whatever the reason one gives has no defined meaning to me; of having no law in the state till 9 years of country freedom, and later on this was dissolved in 1958 by Iskandar Mirza and Pakistan had faced its first martial law by military intervention from General Ayyub Khan lasted till 1969. His tenure was commonly known as the “Decade of Development” for Pakistan. Pakistan got its 2nd organic law in 1962, which was totally made with the personal interest of the president, having the interest in the welfare of the public in the very last corner, as stated by Nicolo Machiavelli in his book The Prince, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely". This constitution was also abrogated by General Yahya Kahn in 1969, who assumed power with a military coup d'etat by overthrowing President Ayyub Khan's government. Onward to them came the civilian government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who drafted and enacted the constitution of 1973; and was ousted by General Zia Ul Haq by imposing martial on 1977. Let me give you some insider information. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was a socialist and, he has bad blood with the US, which is renowned for his capitalism, most of us have watched the video of Bhutto, where he tore up the documents in the US cabinet.

The rest of the story is well-known that Bhutto was hanged by General Zia; who became the puppet of the US, indulged Pakistan in the Soviet-Afghan war in 1979, and fueled the birth of Taliban hegemony in Afghanistan with the aid of Pakistan. Pakistan provided full-fledged training to the mujahideen for the battle with Soviet military coups with the back of the US; who didn't want the rise of socialism in Afghanistan. Consequently, the Soviet Union had to retreat its army from Afghanistan with the order of Gorbachev in 1989. And two years later in 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. Pakistan's upper hand had taken many benefits from this proxy war. Later, we all know about the horrible incident of 9/11 in 2001 when Usama Bin Ladin stroked an airplane in the New York World Trade Center, which resulted in massive casualties and property loss. This simulated the era called War of Terror, an operation of the US against the Afghanistan Taliban. Pakistan was the blossom friend of the Taliban but had to switch parties because of the pressure from the US. To my mentation the root of the 9/11 incident resides in the creation of a monster by the US itself, he hasn't thought that far that what he has created against the Soviet Union would backfire him this much. This is the overview from 1947-2001. While following each incident, you are lucid to the state of political instability, no proper legislation, military gangsterism, and implementation of policies that have no defined future in country development. The political era from 1990-2000 has another stage of drama being depicted to us to make us laugh at the politics and policymakers of Pakistan. Subsequently, the rise and fall of states does not happen overnight but with a gradual process having a series of decisions by the policymakers, technocrats, military elites, and politicians.

 

PU students protest for their rights

We are terrorized in our own country with the fact that we have no future here. Seeing bombing, hunger, joblessness, suicide, false blasphemy, illiteracy, business frauds, money embezzlement, war, sectarianism, poverty, religion and social dispute, feudal lords, etc made my heart torn in thousands of pieces. What's more concerning than the fact that millions of undergraduate and graduate students of universities don't see any future in Pakistan and seek higher education and jobs in foreign countries? In our childhood, we are taught stories with the moral lessons: Unity is strength, Honesty is the best policy, Greed is a curse, Hardworking is a key to success, Slow and steady wins the race, Kindness, and compassion, Think twice before speaking or acting, All that glitter is not gold, No pain no gain, Always tell the truth, Hurtful words can hurt others' feelings, Never give up, etc, all these were taught to us so this poor class can’t overthrow the power of upper class because according to Karl Marx, “ The proletariat of society has a tendency to do the revolution.” This is why the upper class has the fear of the working class, so to control them in a submissive manner our mind has been manipulated with the moral these moral lessons in our premature days: to make our mind completely submissive till our maturity. Plato had also showed his concern about moral stories being taught, he stated in his book The Republic,

 Poetry and storytelling could evoke strong emotions that can potentially cloud people's judgment and lead them astray.

Literature can be evil too.

With this literature, our youngsters accept the fact that what is being fallen on them is because of their own mistake of being born in low class (pessimism, and denial of their existence in class) or because their family is miserable to provide them a quality life, rather than blaming the government for not ameliorating their daily standard of life and providing them with the very basic needs for survival in the society, they become the victim of false consciousness (Philosophy of Karl Marx).  This is a state where we are taught about history and Social Studies in a manner, where Pakistan is the only country standing against all the devils of society. We were always kept in the dark about the terrible past laid by this foundation. It is said by Yuval Nova Harari in his book Homo Sapiens a brief history of Mankind, 

Every foundation in the world is stood on the blood of others.

 He said “every”, isn't that true for Pakistan too? If the answer is Yes, then I know, this is a fact too hard to digest.  

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