Daily Times

The word ‘unknown’ is normally attributed to something about which one doesn’t know anything. But here in our part of the land. It connotes different meanings. It means the hidden forces that handle the strings of everything within the premises of the state. The term ‘everything’ could mean anything from politics, social life and education to policy making etc.

Now let’s see in the context of Pakistan that what the word ‘Unknown’ means to a democrat. Obviously a democrat considers the unknowns as those who are involved in the mechanisation of politics in Pakistan. Besides, a democrat deems it as those who behind the curtains weave the political alliances and then break them. Furthermore, a democrat understands the word unknown as the elements who want to derail the democratic process at any cost.

Similarly, a democrat attaches this word to those who want to blackout everything that goes against the established narrative of the state. Now here the question arises as to what’s the state’s established narrative. Is it the same on which it was founded or it altogether got changed? That’s too by the unknown.

What is more, to a democrat the word unknown implies retrogression and degeneration of future generations. For he considers that the unknown forces infuse venom in the young impressionable minds against other religions and nationalities through outdated educational curriculum. To a democrat this obsolete curriculum guarantees nothing but backwardness and regression. In other words, a democrat reckons that the unknowns are responsible for the intellectual lowness and regressive mindset of our future generations.

Moreover, the word unknown to a democrat is synonymous to political instability. For a democrat, it seems that it’s the unknown forces that derail the democratic process. This derailment occurs when the unknown forces offer heavy sums of money and compel politicians to disown allegiance to their parties. They are the main technicians of the politics of opportunism. As due to all this, politicians defect from their parties. Resultantly, the unknown forces succeed in achieving their short term goals but the state drifts towards the vortex of political instability.

To cut the long story short, a democrat deems the ‘unknown’ as the subject of all the disputes, may it be politics, social life or education of youngsters. Because to him, behind every undemocratic move the role of unknowns is central. And a democrat firmly believes that until these unknowns are caged, our country can hardly see any progress.