The constitution does not define superlative terminologies of Saadiq and Ameen but the implications of these terminologies are such that if you have committed a smallest sin in your life, chances are that you would go down eventually. God does forgive a man, man does not. For instance, Mr X, a prospective candidate for the upcoming elections, is asked on TV whether or not he drinks alcohol. Suppose Mr X does drink alcohol or used to, he better not get into politics in the first place unless his party leader is bold enough to defend him by telling the people that in fact, it was honey in the bottle. If Mr X admits in response that he does drink alcohol, he will certainly be Saadiq (truthful), he might even be admired for his truthfulness. But would he be an Ameen (honest) after admittance that he drinks in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan? Conversely, if Mr X denies drinking, he would be considered Saadiq as well as Ameen. If Mr X admits that he does drink alcohol, he will certainly be Saadiq (truthful), he might even be admired for his truthfulness. But would he be Ameen (honest) after admitting that he drinks in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan? Ironically, if Mr X denies drinking, he would be considered Saadiq as well as Ameen Later, if evidence to the contrary emerges, proving him to be an alcoholic, he automatically becomes untruthful; not a Saadiq anymore, not an Ameen either. Therefore, Mr X is only left with one option: to never contest election at all. Truth is never absolute; it always exists in relation to other things. Likewise, knowledge is always limited whether scientific or otherwise, it is never complete. No matter how modern we may have become with our steps on the moon and our eyes on the phone, the knowledge we possess is limited. The world has finally admitted this limitation to be undeniably true but since we are the greatest nation in the world we still aspire to become absolute; more so in relative matters. For instance, no human is absolutely good or absolutely bad. They are either relatively good or relatively bad. But we Pakistanis tend to see them all in absolute terms. Do we not in our ordinary conversations refer to people in terms of good and bad? ‘To err is human’, said Alexander Pope. But we Pakistanis disagree. For us, it is all or nothing. The images we have associated with various entities have taken over the realities. Owing to the same quintessential mindset, one is constantly under fear and guilt of the sins and crimes one has not even comprehended to commit but is horrified nonetheless. This deep-seated sense of insecurity is permeating the brains of the civilian population, though unseen like the cells of cancer. Among them is a class of people, which is persistently being assured that they need not worry; the COAS and the CJP will right everything. Can they? Have they? Just like in the past, they are being presented as epitomes of piousness and higher sense of morality. But did it work the last time we checked? In science-fiction movies depicting the post-apocalyptic era, the general theme is that the remaining world gets divided into two classes. One class belongs to those who have done well for themselves and were able to create a sumptuous fortress for themselves. The remaining lot of poor and filthy tries to survive outside the fortress. In order to maintain a certain level of equilibrium, some of these poor are credited with perks so as to bring veracity into the vicious cycle of power control. These terminologies are to extend to every civilian in this country. They are neither Saadiq nor Ameen; but the burden is on them to prove that they are. Meanwhile, the one who accuses them of not being Saadiq and Ameen is free to act as the judge and jury You see this depiction in the pre-apocalyptic, real life Pakistan too. It appears that the only good people in this country are the ones in uniform or the ones in black and white. The rest of us are mere felons. The life of a civilian is prone to eternal damnation. These terminologies are to extend to every civilian in this country. They are neither Saadiq nor Ameen per se; the burden is on them to prove that they are. The one who accuses them of not being Saadiq and Ameen pretends to be the jury as well; such is the monstrosity in which we are forced to live. All one needs to do is to accuse the other. The maximum penalty a judge or an army officer would have to face if he commits a blunder is early retirement. A retired judge can always become a practicing lawyer and a retired soldier would be welcomed as an employee at any private or public organistaion. Anyone who is inconsistent with the state-sanctioned narrative in the country could be discarded with the help of these terms, Saadiq and Ameen, by any means necessary — disqualifying a PM, accusing one of being an agent of a foreign intelligence agency, accusing a civilian officer of corruption for abiding by the orders of the politicians or in some other way. But if you are accusing politicians or government officials of involvement in corruption of billions of rupees, that is completely fine; you are expressing your right to freedom of speech. NAB, the prime antigraft body in the country, only arrests people over corruption charges but at the forum where a person’s guilt or innocence is to be decided — the administrative court — their performance is equal to nil. Blackmail is the only real weapon NAB possesses. If as a citizen of this country you have a concern with the policies of the big guns, do yourself a favour; keep your mouth shut or else you are an accessory to some giant, complex, supernatural conspiracy against the state. When is it all going to end? This fragmentation, us against them, uniformed versus the non-uniformed, you versus me etc. Mind you, the recuperation from this would be too heavy a price that we and our coming generations will have to pay. The writer is a graduate of Cardiff University, UK and is a member of The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn. He is currently practicing law at Peshawar and Islamabad High Court and the District Courts. He can be reached at awais_babar@live.co.uk Published in Daily Times, May 18th 2018.