Daily Times

Sindh, by all evidence, is the worst managed and most corrupt province in the country. The manner in which the city of Karachi is being used and abused by extortionists, the land mafia and target killers is bringing the city down to its knees. There is no rule of law and criminals are running amok among the hard working and honest residents of the economic heart of the country. It is therefore no surprise that the current cleanup operation being conducted in Sindh is generating a lot of hope and expectations in the country in general and Karachi in particular.
The operation, conducted by the Rangers (who are commanded by officers of the Pakistan army), started by targeting criminal gangs and everyone applauded it. Then it was revealed that most of the criminals belonged to the MQM and the guns were turned on them. This resulted in squeals of protest from the aggrieved party and much cheering by everyone else, including the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
But, as they say in our meat eating culture, “Bakray ki maan kab tak khair manaiy gi?” (for how long can a goat’s mother protect the goat?). The Rangers’ chief issued a press release saying that all the politicians were criminals and all the criminals were politicians, and thus some deep cleansing is called for. Now, the mother of all bakras (goats), the leader of the PPP, seeing the knife approaching close to his neck, let out a loud bleat, threatening the qasai (butcher) with dire consequences. Such protest by goats is common during the bakra Eid when they are being sacrificed but, inevitably, their protest fails to save them.
So, another one bites the dust and there is a big round of applause from all sections of society, rich and poor alike. No less than the army chief himself makes a categorical statement that the operations in Karachi will be taken to their logical conclusion of removing all the criminality in Karachi. Then came some spoilsports, who asked unsavoury questions: “Once all the incompetent, corrupt and criminal politicians and administrators have been removed, who will guarantee that the replacements are more competent and honest? If it is the army, then will they run the government or do their job defending Pakistan from internal and external threats? And what qualification, or track record, does the army have of running the country? The khakis ruled the country for more than half the period since its creation and did no better than the civilians that they replaced. Some, like General Ziaul Haq, brutalised the political culture to a new level and the violence we see today is partly a legacy of that rule.”
It is quite likely that the cleanup operation is just another round in the game known as ‘pass the parcel’. Both the hunters and the hunted in Sindh have won the parcel at one time or another. On winning, they all have helped themselves generously and have failed to bring about genuine improvement in the lives of the larger populace. Has anything changed in the political culture of the country to expect a different outcome this time around? The bitter reality is that nothing has changed in the behaviour of the power elite of the country since its inception. The corrupt and powerful appear as rulers and saviours in different guises — sometimes in a three-piece suit or an awami kurta shalwar (national dress) and, at other times, in uniform.
Yes, the current operation might provide some relief from daily harassment, money extortion and threat to life and property. On the downside, the democratic process will suffer another setback. There is no clarity on how a “cleaned up” civilian governance setup will work. Who will decide who replaces the rotten eggs? And who will guarantee that the knights in shining armour do not turn into the criminals they replaced? As a minimum, to bring credibility and impartiality to the operation, the army must clean up its own house. Senior army officers accused of corruption by the civilian establishment have been sheltered by the all-powerful army on the grounds that only the army can deal with its own corrupt.
So, what is the answer to the problem of bringing a genuine change that breaks the repeated cycle of one evil replacing another? Should we condemn the involvement of the army in what is a civilian matter or condone it on the basis that the current government is so rotten that it cannot reform itself and an external force like the army is needed to fix it? To me, the correct answer is: neither of the above.
Real and sustainable change will not come unless there is a demand and activism from the grassroots level for a society that is fair and compassionate. In a sustainable nation state, politics and governments serve the best interests of those who put them in power and not the other way round. Of course, activism without direction and organisation will lead to anarchy. It is essential that there are political organisations in place to lead and channel the demands of the people. Unfortunately, while there is a huge amount of resentment and anger among the people of the country, there are only some weak signs of any organised politics of resistance and change.
You cannot set a thief to catch a thief and you cannot clean a political system that is flawed in its entirety. The people must organise themselves to fight against the forces that have bled them dry and be willing to lay down their lives towards this end. Otherwise they will die like rats in a sinking ship, operation clean up notwithstanding.

The writer is an engineer by training and a social scientist by inclination. He works as a consultant in the social sector