Meeting that inveterate ideologue, Amin Mughal, is like an essential part of a pilgrimage. So was it this time around also. But, I was also fortunate to interact with a larger group during my recent visit to a favourite city. London has been unimaginably hot with temperatures crossing the 30-degree Celsius mark virtually on a daily basis. To the Londoners, this is like nature’s showering to be savoured every moment. To us, a few degrees less would be a lot better. During the trip, I also happened to attend a function to discuss a recently released book “The Spy Chronicles” at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). Co-authored by Lt. Gen. (R) Asad Durrani and A. S. Dulat, it was introduced by Amin Mughal and the participants included Dulat and Dr. Farooq Abdullah. A pre-recorded statement of Asad Durrani was played at the beginning of the discussion. The stand-outs of the longish session were the interventions of two young students with one questioning the SOAS administration for handing over the premises to ‘collaborators of the state’ for holding the function — a statement primarily targeting the former Chief Minister of the Indian Kashmir. The other student, reading out three apparently irreconcilable statements of the former Chief Minister, wanted to know which one he still stood by. Dr Abdullah, not really having much to say in defence, tried childishly to wish her away as he also did with a question about religiosity playing a dominant role in the ascertainment of modern-day politics — something that left a bad taste in the mouth. Incidentally, both students hailed from the Indian part of Kashmir. Neither were the army tanks out to control any untoward situation, nor were there any diehards willing to give their lives to save their leader. Even the brother, the one who heads the party now as its president, opted to remain absent from the airport And then a long session with Wajid Shamsul Hasan, former High Commissioner to the UK. It was a pleasure going over various phases of political development in Pakistan and the urgent need for a corrective mechanism to be put in place to move forward. There was an acknowledgment of the ever-depleting moral standards in the domain of politics which needed to be rectified by helping the emergence of a leadership with an unsullied past and with benchmarks raised much higher than one has witnessed recently. As he said: “Indeed, we are in a quagmire. I share your hope that we could waddle out of this relatively unscathed. We need urgent and measured steps on course to the goal of genuine participatory democracy”. He went on to explain that this will not come without giving everyone an equal opportunity irrespective of religious, caste, creed and colour considerations. Only this will ensure the rule of law and transparent accountability. But, the starting point for all this remains introducing a democratic polity within the political parties. Unless that happens, the very idea of sustainable democracy in the country would remain an illusion. With Tariq Suleman of SOAS, one had an engaging discussion regarding the respective domains of the individual and the institution: whether and what role can individuals play in the evolution of institutions in the country. There was no disagreement about the necessary, in fact dominant role that the state institutions have to play in strengthening the democratic polity. But, in the context of Pakistani politics where corruption and governance have virtually become synonymous, there appeared to be a larger role that individuals could play in kick-starting the upward momentum. Back to the beginning, to the one credible source of ideological discourse. With Amin Mughal, it was a comprehensive glance through the transition of the Muslims from a cultural identity to a religious entity. In doing so, we went over various phases of human evolution or social reality and whether we should look at life as a real phenomenon, or just a transition. It was like drawing a comparison between how classical Physics and modern Quantum Physics look at life: the former treating life as real and the latter as unreal. All these theories focus on certain aspects in time and space of social reality. That is the reason why we try to eternalise them. But, an element of uncertainty lingers in all this as it would in all such theorising. He contended that capitalism in Pakistan was unstable, and so were the democratic values. In the short run, stabilisation of the democratic values was linked with stabilisation of capitalism. At this juncture, business bourgeoisie was in total control in Pakistan which had cultivated a business economy. This could not last indefinitely and would have to be replaced with something that would provision equal opportunities to all contending people and groups. Corruption was an essential ingredient of an unstable system as was currently the case in the country. There is no easy cure of this ailment as its elimination was linked directly with the ultimate strengthening of the system and the democratic values. Back in Pakistan, the Eagle landed to a rather damp welcome. Neither were the army tanks out to control any untoward situation, nor were there any diehards willing to give their lives to save their leader. Even the brother, the one who heads the party now as its president, opted to remain absent from the airport. He appeared more interested in playing to the gallery rather than showing the courage of leading from the front. He makes a veritable link of a two-pronged strategy: defiance on the outward and desperate attempts for reconciliation on the inward. This has been the way in the past and a replication is sought dearly. But, it does not appear to be an easy prospect. So, a more likely scenario would be prolonged incarceration at Adiala. Barely a few days away from the elections, a conscious effort is being made to render these controversial, the reason being nothing other than an undying hatred for Imran Khan. The critics would let even the devil win, but not PTI. In the words of a dear friend from the US whom I would not name, “what shocks me the most is the way supposed liberals would attack any peasant, religious minority, even women who support PTI and employ elitist and misogynistic vitriol against them of a degree so severe that it would end the career of a liberal journalist or commentator in the West”. He goes on to say: “The aversion to the military and PTI from the liberals and the media Mughals appears more like an aversion to a centre of power they cannot tap into, rather than a genuine disdain for corruption and nepotism.” Taking this argument further, in Pakistan, support for an ousted leader is virtually akin to supporting his deep-set corruption which no one doubts. Though a product of the very same forces like none other, he is being projected as a symbol of misplaced defiance of the military, thus deserving of their unqualified support. Between the ideologue, the diplomat, the academic and a voice from afar, one possibly could draw an outline of the maladies that Pakistan suffers from and what is the potential and attendant options of proceeding forward. Like I have said on numerous occasions in the past, Pakistan is not going to be an easy country to govern because at stake is the future of the status-quo forces. Since their tentacles are dug in deep and wide, it would be some calling to uproot them and usher in a system based in equality, equity and egalitarianism. It appears we are in for a long haul! 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, July 17th 2018.