We actively seek out the dictatorial alternative. As the pendulum swings back, we decry our chosen ‘saviours’
KARACHI: I did not feel revulsion upon seeing my leaders collectively eating in the immediate aftermath of yet another tragedy in the continuing saga of tragedies Pakistan has become. Given the unparalleled services rendered to law and order, economic development, religious freedoms, integration and to nation-building, we could not grudge their sustenance. After all, even Nero fiddled as Rome burned! A commentator on one channel sensationalising the saga made a most telling comment. “Would they be so calmly and callously eating if this had happened to their families?” he asked. Briefly, that thought appealed and, tempting as it seemed, I realised that the answer lay not in revenge or hate, because that pulls us down to the same inhuman level. The answer lies in trying to strengthen systems by making the Constitution a reality instead of a useless piece of paper. So far, this has not happened.
With our civilian governance failing yet again, we are turning to the military yet again, to come to our rescue. Ironically, this is a sad cyclical event, whether orchestrated or otherwise, where every decade or so the ability to govern through a genuine, constitutionally supported parliamentary system collapses. We actively seek out the dictatorial alternative. As the pendulum swings back, we decry our chosen ‘saviours’ to seek another farce of democracy until the circle of failure completes again. Can anyone remember how, over our chequered history, this circle has been replayed like some macabre square dance going neither forwards nor sideways but inexorably backwards?
The military has been galvanised into action by the Peshawar attack. As always in the beginning, the right sounds are heard and actions are played out. Given the incompetence and collusion of our corrupt and self-seeking civilian leaders, it seems the present circle of failure is rapidly coming to a close. Far too often the doctrine of necessity and strategic depth have been unable to work in tandem for the overall benefit of the people of this potentially great country. Here’s the thing: will it be too much to hope that the justice system will redeem and restore itself from top-down? And will it be too much to hope that from its permanent position of strength, the military, this time, will support and strengthen that system in the letter and spirit of the Constitution for the greater good?
Dr Mervyn Hosein
Published in The Express Tribune, May 22nd, 2015.
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