You win but lose. Victory but defeat. Triumph that is shameful. You fix but are broken. You lead but are behind. You are in power but powerless. These are some contradictions that are apt for the game of chess going on by those in power and those out of it. Rarely has the country witnessed such lows in all areas in its history? Rarely has there been such abject surrender to egos, fear, and insecurity. Rarely has there been such apathy to the running of the of any sort. The sorry sight of the country losing direction and nose-diving without any effort to save or avert it is almost sickening. Ramzan was tough as iftaris became a luxury. Lower classes are now permanently fasting while the middle class found that fruit chat in iftari was something they could rarely afford. Eid was glum and sobering as shopping was restricted to window gazing by the majority.
As the country and the countrymen suffer, the strange paralysis by those at the helm of the government has become a never-ending nightmare.
As the country and the countrymen suffer, the strange paralysis by those at the helm of the government has become a never-ending nightmare. The rupee is worth little and is devaluing daily. The Finance division mumbles and jumbles about getting nearer to the staff-level agreement with IMF. The Prime minister attends strange functions of inaugurating some apps and makes his usual speech about all is well. The establishment colludes with the government on ensuring all voices of dissent are silenced with the historical grab, disappear, bash, update and return models. And, life goes on. Slowly and painfully approaching the state where now comparisons with Sri Lanka have been replaced by likes of Sudan. The fall of nations or power centres does not happen due to a lack of resources or skills or intelligence but due to a lack of sincere intent, and a purpose beyond self. Let us see how the current “Power Combo” is creating its powerlessness:
1. Loss of Focus and Direction- The best job security is performance. The most secure position is based on achieving the expected deliverables. The highest following is when there is a leader who leads by example and sets a direction that people can believe in and follow. The present government removed the PTI government for a supposed bad performance, and non-delivery and accused them of taking the country in the wrong direction. One year down the road their performance has been incredibly disastrous on all fronts. Not in the wildest imagination could one think of such terrible economic mismanagement. The lack of policy. The lack of plans. The lack of political will. The lack of negotiation. The lack of preparation. And so on. Even a bunch of Econ 101 freshmen students could have done better. All global rating agencies have downgraded our economy continuously. Inflation is over 47% and still rising. IMF has not even bothered to meet the Finance minister. Nawaz Sharif and his daughter dashed to Saudia on Umra and then made a statement about meeting Saudi crown prince MBS. That also seems another brazen lie as there is no communique from the Saudi foreign office. UAE is not giving any money. So Pakistan has no plans of generating money internally either by increasing exports or investments while externally nobody wants to talk to them. The powerful one in the establishment has tried to get loans from brotherly countries but nothing is coming. The foreign minister is always missing in action. The Prime minister is now making a trip to London. Why? To attend Prince Charles’s coronation. This is as headless, heartless, directionless and soulless as it gets. Call them Nero playing the flute when Rome is burning, call them whatever, they ain’t moving, they ain’t changing, they ain’t doing.
2. The Legal but unconstitutional dilemma- So the Supreme of all authorities, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is trying to create some legal sanity. The law is clear. The Constitution is like a crystal. The action is precise. The elections must be held. The judgement is there. The court order is specific. The government does not heed. The government does not budge. The government defies. The Chief Justice tries. The government guns him. The government releases audio tapes. The government seeks ways to remove him. Then the artificial Eid lull. The Chief Justice asks for political dialogue to solve the problem. The government does nothing. Time runs out. For the government, the mere hint of an election in May or July or anytime is an impossibility. For the Chief Justice not being able to get their orders fulfilled is unthinkable. For the public this locking of horns is unbearable. There is pent-up panic in the government ranks. There is pent-up impatience in the Supreme Court. There is pent-up anger in the public. This is dangerously leading to an implosion that will soon turn into an explosion. That will lead to bloody consequences. Consequences that may lead to more unintended consequences. That is how dangerous the situation is. The establishment’s open support to the government has created a big chasm between the will of the people and the will of the powerful.
3. The Abyss of Moral Bankruptcy-There are losses all over. The economy is in monumental losses. The deficits are unsustainable. Inflation is rocketing. The industry is in massive losses leading to shutdowns. It is like the Titanic going down but nobody seems to be able to do anything. But is that the real loss? Not really. There is an even bigger loss-The moral and ethical bankruptcy. The government has become a den of blackmailing crooks. As the economy incurs massive losses and people scream, they leak out audio or video. This audio and video are on PTI or on judges trying to give decisions according to the constitution that does not suit the government. Previously the audios were of judges. Presently they have reached a new low. They have leaked audios of judges’ families- elderly women, and great-grandmothers talking to each other and giving opinions. This is terrible. This is the degradation of the status of a government. This is the ruination of any dignity and privacy in society.
A society is made up of social values. Human beings are distinguished from other beings because of the honour and dignity that they carry, emit and exhibit. This past year, many have been forcibly stripped of their honour. The latest to Ali Amin Gandapur. To abduct him and then to file cases upon him from city to city. Then produce him with his hair cut and cropped to his head. This is not just cutting off hair, this is cutting off the right to be human. This is a low act of trying to prove the helplessness of an individual. This is to belittle him. Does he look small? No. It is the ones who have done it who are dwarfed and morphed into some monstrous creature. It began with Azam Swati’s private video sent to his daughter and it continues with the same horrific lowness. The disillusionment, distaste, and disgust at such acts are at an all-time high. “They” are losing their trust, their credibility and their face. They are the ultimate losers.
The writer is a columnist, consultant, coach, and an analyst and can be reached at andleeb.abbas1@gmail,com. She tweets at @AndleebAbbas