Daily Times

Did you hear that classic one from the one in the dock, that there was no load-shedding when his government completed its tenure? That was on May 31 earlier this year. If that were to be taken on its face value, it would mean that energy was in abundant supply till he ruled with his battalions of bootleggers, and in only twelve days since, the story of indescribable success and glory in the arena of power generation and distribution has been reversed and the country engulfed in the lengthening shadows of darkness. Wow!

Did you also read the reply filed in the Supreme Court on his behalf that he had not received any money from the ISI as donation to spend on advancing his credentials in the elections held in 1990? In addition to other evidence that may be available with the authorities, I am personally a witness to him confessing to having received the alleged funds, adding quickly that the miserly amount was not sufficient to fight the elections.

A plethora of canard being spread about the intervention from unseen powers to impact the forthcoming elections also falls into the same domain — that of fabricating blatant falsehood to hoodwink the people and gain their sympathy. This is the favourite instrument in the hands of the ones who practice the art of politics in its Machiavellian mould.

At the time of writing ‘The Prince’, Machiavelli could not have imagined that he would be kept vibrantly alive by a corrupt breed of leaders in Pakistan. It is time to bury him. It is time to lay the foundations of a state rooted in reason and logic

The dishonourable manner in which issues of serious consequence for the state have been handled in the past is yet another area of enormous concern. Take the case of the Kalabagh Dam, for example — a project that is referred to as dead and buried because three of the four federating units opposed its construction. Opposed yes, but why? Was it based on facts? Or, was the case overtly politicised to prove nationalistic credentials? And what is the reason why there cannot be an open, rational and depoliticised debate, specially encompassing the three provinces which had originally opposed it, to ascertain the merit or otherwise of the mega project? It should be because issues of such critical relevance to the state cannot be handled in a lackadaisical manner and consigned to the dustbin of dirty politics.

This and more are the matters which are unfurling as the day of the elections nears. This will get increasingly morbid with the passage of time, leading to the ultimate winners proclaiming their legitimate right to rule, and the losers raising the bogey of rigging and interference from unseen quarters.

The case of excessive and unnecessary politicisation of issues is the one ailment that needs to be addressed alongside others which are plaguing the prospect of growth and consolidation of democracy in the country. A Machiavellian parlance laced in deception cannot and will not show the way forward.

One of the many reasons why we suffer from a paranoia of sorts is the ruling system that we have adopted in an uncaring manner, and without evaluating whether it responded to the genuine needs of the state.

Democracy it has to be and democracy it will be to take the country forward. But, why does it have to be only of the parliamentary form that we currently practice? Does it serve the purpose of the state and the requirement of good governance? Does it provision the option of an elected leader to choose the very best talent and expertise in implementing the agenda that may be formulated to tackle the genuine challenges that the country faces? Why do we have to deal with a ‘non-elected’ chief executive chosen by a predominantly corrupt lot returned to the assemblies through a dysfunctional electoral system, and why such a leader has to remain dependent on the support of the same derelict lot of legislators which may be a major hindrance in implementing his development programme?

This paradox is described in a classic rendering by Sophocles: “If you try to cure evil with evil, you will add more pain to your life”.

We have suffered pain in excess, and it does not appear to be disappearing anywhere in the near future. On the contrary, the inherent paradoxes are only becoming more pronounced with the passage of time with little courage on the part of our leaders to initiate a dialogue for a correct, candid, dispassionate and depoliticised evaluation of the issues that we confront, and the best strategy to handle them.

Instead of curtailing the domain of dialogue, we need to expand it. This will not come if we remain afraid of the possible consequences. This country has waded through pools of blood and it continues to do so. It is bruised, battered and lacerating and cannot be expected to confront the uphill challenge to perpetuity: first, it physically cannot and, second, the impoverished and the marginalised millions do not have the trust and strength to bear the adversity any longer. This is a reality that is alien to the perpetual beneficiary elite which has, ever so treacherously, sucked the blood out of the veins of the state, leaving a mere skeleton by the roadside to fend for its way.

We have serious, existential issues that the state faces. The ghosts of religiosity, radicalisation, violence, discrimination, inequality, inequity, misrule, corruption, loot and plunder have driven the state hollow. It has been, and continues to be fed on empty slogans with no substance. While the past has been shoved under the carpet with no urge to learn from, there is also no concern for a future that comes laden with newer challenges. It’s a day-to-day approach. Let’s enjoy today. Tomorrow will be taken care of when it comes. Consequently and appropriately, it has been downhill since times immemorial, only with the speed of the plunge having increased with the momentum of time.

Remaining wedded to the convenience of the status-quo has brought the state to the brink of implosion. It cannot go any further like this. We need to change our mode, our narrative and the instruments that we have employed in steering the country to this horrible pass.

We need to address all challenges, whether these be pertaining to the democratic system that we follow, or projects of strategic importance to the country, like the KBD, which have been wrongfully sacrificed at the altar of two-pence politics, or the divisions that have been cleavage on account of the rampaging hydras of our own creation. There is no escaping this recipe. Partaking of it will chisel the right way forward that the state needs to survive and prosper, and the people to breathe and have hope.

At the time of writing ‘The Prince’, Machiavelli could not have imagined that he would be kept vibrantly alive by a corrupt breed of leaders in Pakistan. It is time to bury him. It is time to lay the foundations of a state rooted in reason and logic, functioning without the crutches of convenience, lust and corruption. It is time to bask in the reality of our existence and make it welcoming to the world. We need them around us. We cannot survive amidst an isolation which is only deepening and expanding, having crept into the state’s living organisms.

The writer is a political and security strategist, and heads the Regional Peace Institute — an Islamabad-based think tank. Email: raoofhasan@hotmail.com. Twitter: @RaoofHasan

Published in Daily Times, June 12^th 2018.