Daily Times

While heated debates are now commonplace in Pakistan, be it on social media, TV channel talk shows, or drawing room conversations; we are meticulously keeping the elephant in the room out of discourse. Everyone seems to be judging and nudging those with antithetical point of views. At large, we seem to have become an extremist nation. And I do not allude to the fascists or militants when I use the word extremist, rather I talk about the general people of Pakistan who have become unbelievably intolerant of opposing views, and outspoken about their own.

We identify either as conservatives or liberals, like the rest of the world, but keep moderation at bay in both cases; both consider the other a threat to their own philosophy, and in effect, to the world. It has become customary not only to verbally thrash someone for having an opposing view, but also to try and impose one’s own on them. The difference between ideologies is undoubtedly stark by principle, but should that translate to adhering to them so fast that one loses grip of basic morality and ethics of communication? In an effort to be right and be acknowledged as such, we have never been more wrong. So much so that we let our differences get the better of ourselves.

Constant political instability and upheaval since the inception of our land; toppling elected governments, and conniving to retain power – all in the name of national interest; subscribing to religion and inciting people in its name for personal gains, are only a few of the numerous factors responsible for our current deplorable state of affairs. Decades of selfish rule and manipulation of general public by the rulers to this end have left us in a state of chaos, which we do not even recognise.

Zia regime (1977-88) is notorious for its unnecessary and harmful (as it later turned out) religious indoctrination of the masses. For more than a decade the public was deliberately injected with religious extremism that later on yielded the radical intolerance we witness today. Religious clerics, who were seen only on the periphery of society before, were made a cohesive part of Pakistan’s political and consequently societal framework. For the next two decades, radical clerics indoctrinated the common man with hatred, self-righteousness, intolerance, sectarianism, and all that could help burgeon and prolong their own stake in the society. What had started as a personal and political agenda became an ideology, which permeated through every echelon of the society after years of preaching. Generation after generation was brought up with this ideology as part and parcel of their lives. Ones, who were trained and patronised to fight in the name of religion, later became a threat to the state itself. Today there are a great number of people within the state who support these elements because they are in effect safeguarding that dogma.

After Zia there was an obvious divide among the people. There were those on the extreme right, and those who hovered around the center and slightly towards the left. Then came the Musahrraf era (1999-2008); he had a very loud and clear stance against the aforementioned religious bigotry. He raised the slogan of “enlightened moderation”, and as proof of his allegiance to it he waged war on the self-appointed protectors of the religious doctrine in the country. Besides that Musharraf took some societal initiatives as well to further propagate his agenda: women’s representation in the parliament increased visibly in his era, a women’s protection bill was passed by the national assembly, the private TV channels started to sprout like seasonal mushrooms and their content was bolder than ever before. However, these attempts were only superficial and bore no potential for a long term change in the social fiber. While he allowed NATO forces in Pakistan, and executed military operation on a religious institution in the capital city, similar religious clerics (Muttahidda Majlis-e-Amal) were a part of his parliament, and thus the political framework, too.

This failed attempt at shoving liberalism yielded strong backlash from the rightists. People, after decades of conservatism, weren’t quite ready for this sudden flurry of liberalism; hence it created another extreme pole among the already divided, further widening the gap between different factions of public. With this gap came the chaotic confusion and an increase in intolerance towards each other. This frenzy has only grown since, leaving us as trapped, nervous animals: running capriciously in any and every dimension, attacking each other. Objective reality has no room in our lives, therefore, everyone is right and everyone is wrong – no one is introspecting. Everyone is merely accusing and passing verdicts based on these accusations. Our sense of self-entitlement and self-righteousness has taken us so far that even human life is worth less compared to our egos. It is such a sad state of affairs that we are ready to die and kill for ideologies that we perhaps don’t even fully understand.

Pluralism is not an alien concept. There are nations in this very world that learned the art of co-existence at some point, acknowledged their differences and decided to work in collaboration regardless. The only time Pakistanis stand united is when a tragedy befalls them, and even that does not hold up for long. As soon as the tears dry, the gloves come off. This growing intolerance and lack of acceptance is creating a safe haven for who we collectively identify as enemies. If we don’t soon realise how Pakistan is suffering because of these opposite poles growing farther apart, and learn to co-exist, we might end up making our state a lot weaker than it already is.

The blogger is a publicist, currently working for Carmudi.pk. She is also a freelance writer who strives to bring social issues to light, and identifies as a feminist.