Daily Times

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, an English classic written by R L Stevenson in 1886, is a must-read for literature students. The title was even co-opted into the English language as a reference for one person alternating between good and evil.

Dr Jekyll represents a kind respected gentleman in Victorian England while his other persona, Mr Hyde is evil, lecherous and cruel. Multiple films, TV serials and stage dramas have been based on this novel.

It presents the dual personalities of Dr Jekyll who controlled the emergence of Hyde by consuming a potion. Unfortunately, evil finally prevails leading to the suicide of Dr Jekyll as he feared exposure and humiliation. He embodies a façade of respectability harbouring sociopathic tendencies. We are seeing this being played in our current political scene.

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan has changed the regional power dynamics. The US had propped up a regime that seemed incapable of standing up to the battle-hardened Taliban. The US presence had facilitated the entry of India in Afghanistan in the garb of a friendly regional power. Its real purpose was to support anti-Pakistan forces that could destabilise and squeeze Pakistanis.

The expedited departure has left Indians without a roof over their head; leaving the Afghan government and Indians extremely vulnerable. As a reaction, they are going for broke, risking everything in an all-out effort to safeguard their interests within Afghanistan and disrupt Pakistan through their proxies. In the greater scheme of things, India is ready to take on China and finds an increasingly independent Pakistan a stumbling block.

The expedited US departure has left Indians without a roof over their head.

The US Secretary of State called India “a vital player in the region,” during a recent visit. The US is willing to support Indian ambitions, backed by the recently formed “Quad” nexus that includes Australia and Japan. Confronting and containing China has become the lead foreign policy objective of the Biden regime. The immediate thorn in their side is the evolving situation in Afghanistan with the Taliban on the rise.

Chinese have reached out to the Taliban. Recently, a Taliban delegation led by Mullah Baradar met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The Chinese have assured their support towards reconciliation and reconstruction of Afghanistan. Both China and Pakistan support a government based on reconciliation, which includes all the parties.

Peaceful Afghanistan will be a boon for the region and Belt and Road Initiative. It shall open a land route to warm waters for Central Asia and Russia and provide China with access to European markets by land. This solution is utterly unacceptable to India or the faltering regime of Ashraf Ghani. They would rather have a civil war develop in Afghanistan; fuelling an influx of Western resources and a dominant role for Indians.

In this scenario, PM Modi is pulling out all the plugs and mobilising his linkages to Pakistan. He has some very powerful allies in Pakistani mainstream politics.

Since Punjabis were always on the frontline in confrontations with India, they will not accept kowtowing to India at the cost of Kashmiri brethren. They are a bulwark of support for the oppressed Kashmiris etched in their hearts and minds.

The majority of the manpower in Pakistani forces are drawn from Punjab since pre-partition. Armed Forces are held in high esteem and disrespecting them is intolerable. This is the Dr Jekyll part of the equation.

Nawaz Sharif—often brought into question for his alleged ties with Modi—is also the head of the Sharif Clan. The family was inducted into politics through the nursery of a military dictator. His rise as head of his faction of the Muslim League was facilitated by General Zia. He twice became prime minister with the blessings of few army chiefs.

As his popularity got entrenched(mainly in Punjab), his arrogance grew. As a businessman holding the levers of power, his greed to accumulate wealth by any means grew immensely. Billions in illegally acquired money were laundered out of the country.

Finally, it all caught up with him. He is now a convicted felon and an absconder who has weaselled his way to the UK. His face in Pakistan is his daughter, Maryam Nawaz. Both father and daughter have adopted the persona of Mr Hyde; ready to demolish every part of the Pakistani power structure. They are seeking to force their way back even if means getting into bed with the enemy.

NS has constantly attacked Army leadership; said to be singing off a script written by PM Modi and his team. He is getting away with it without much reaction from the Establishment.

What all the proofs and NAB cases could not achieve is being served out by NS himself- his common cause with Modi. The public is seeing through this devilish enterprise. PML(N)’s power base is fast eroding as is evident by elections in AJK and Sialkot. The masses view their Armed Forces as protectors and heroes and therefore reject this unpatriotic platform. It is political suicide akin to Dr Jekyll’s.

A vast majority of PML(N) parliamentarians are good Pakistanis. They need to distance themselves from this unfortunate rhetoric that can potentially harm our national interest. They need to wake up and take charge of their legacy as true Muslim leaguers who paved the way for the creation of our homeland.

The writer is the director of CERF, a non-profit, charitable organisation in Canada