The dearly departed General Zia-ul-Haq was the first to use the slogan of Islam to gain and retain power. He endlessly preached to the choir and stressed upon clothing and empty ritual. Thanks to his pioneering ways, the entire nation now seeps in hypocrisy. From social media preachers to Tele-muftis to mosque imams, everyone is focused on the external. It is as though Islam is all about growing beards; wearing niqabs with black burqas and having a penchant for jihad. This ideology has spread like a wildfire because it is so very convenient. Empty ritual and clothing is the easiest way to project piety. It saves us from controlling the Nafs or baser desires of the soul. The greatest beneficiary of this ideology is political parties, which chant the slogan of Islam. Imran Khan’s media campaign is all about eulogising Riyasat-e-Medina. While in power, not a single of his actions emulated the state of Medina yet his mesmerised groupies still admire his rhetoric. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) are next in line to benefit from this warped way of thinking. On a Facebook consumer protection group, a person commented that his neighbourhood fruit cart vendor cheats in his trade but was very vocal about his plans to vote for the TLP in the upcoming elections, so as to be able to face Allah SWT on the Day of Judgment. Gone is the grace, dignity, intellect and decorum of a Muslim. How and why did political parties become Divinely ordained for the cause of Islam in Pakistan is the million-dollar question. The answer lies in massive corruption, poor governance and growing economic inequality since the end of the Musharraf era in 2008. People have turned to religion as their saviour in a world in an increasingly difficult existence thanks to spiralling inflation. Religious parties are now being seen as the messiah who would fix what ails Pakistan. The fact that beyond violent protest, these parties have very little experience in any matter pertinent to governance. Only Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JIP) recently gained some traction with the general public due to their rescue and rehabilitation work in the recent floods in Sindh with its welfare wing, the Al-Khidmat Foundation. None of these political parties chanting the slogan of Islam have a solid understanding of world affairs, diplomacy, the economy, technology and trade. They are, hence, incapable of devising an effective policy framework for transformative governance. After Nehru, India did not have any visionary or charismatic leader, but they had visionaries in the world of business and trade. Ratan Tata, Mukesh Ambani and Narayana Murthi are just some of the Indian business tycoons who contributed to the development of India. Pakistan is differently blessed, as we lack business tycoons, but we are privileged when it comes to genius. The list is diverse and long: Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan; Dr Mehboob-ul-Haq; Abdus Sattar Edhi; Agha Hasan Abdi; Dr Abdus Salam; and the lesser-known but intellectually gifted, Dr Eqbal Ahmed. Each of these men served the cause of Islam, in line with the demands of the modern world. Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan safeguarded the sovereignty of Pakistan by building the atomic bomb. Dr Mehboob-ul-Haq did pioneering work in development economics for the World Bank, by developing the paradigm for human development. Abdus Sattar Edhi taught the world how to manage an efficient system of delivering social services in a developing country. Agha Hasan Abdi pioneered a banking network at par with global western financial institutions. Dr Abdus Salam did groundbreaking work in Physics. Dr Eqbal Ahmed was a world-class prescient political scientist admired by even Noam Chomsky. Collectively, these men could supercharge the engine of growth for a modern Islamic state. However, the ship was steered in the direction of militancy and Jihad by an incompetent and power-hungry captain in the person of General Zia-ul-Haq. Pakistani men today rank number one only in porn viewership. Ordinary female citizens become celebrities overnight through dance videos that go viral. Innovation and entrepreneurship are only seen in food. Gone is the grace, dignity, intellect and decorum of a Muslim. Hordes are now prepared to challenge the writ of the state over the finality of prophethood. Violent mobs are ever ready to set ablaze public and private property, shoot law enforcement officials and kill ordinary citizens in a show of power. The honour of our beloved prophet (pbuh) has been weaponized. The weapon is then deployed against other Muslims. Islam teaches inclusion, brotherhood, compassion and patience. The TTP, TLP et al teach exclusivism, bigotry, intolerance, hate and violence. If elected, how will the TLP or JIP handle the debt crises? How will they kickstart the ailing economy? How will they tackle corruption? How will they forge alliances with other states? How will they improve the law and order situation? These questions have never been posed before by the leadership of these parties. They primarily engage with the media and the public through aggressive rhetoric. Their existence is pivoted on their ability to create riots and cause massive unrest. Their nuisance value makes the government acquiesce to them, which gives them weight to throw around. Political programming on various television channels resembles a noisy fish market. The endless bashing and blame-shifting create enough fog for TLP and JIP to hide behind. Much needed questions about their take on civil war, conflict resolution, human rights, and public health. economic development, political philosophy, ethnic violence, interreligious dialogue, and more, are never asked. Given that veteran journalists conduct shows, the “he said” and “she said” conversations seemed deliberately contrived to serve a twofold purpose: They cater to the lowest common denominator; and they allow the news anchors to seem brave and smart, while completely lacking intellectual rigour. Creating drama and polarizing the nation seems to be the objective of our television programming. The media is the fourth pillar of the state and ours seems to be an adversary. It thrives by creating political chaos, which creates room for Islamic realpolitik. This is a hamster wheel that the nation needs to get off of. The writer is an independent researcher, author and columnist. She can be reached at aliya1924@gmail.com