There is no label for what Pakistan is enduring because no one wants to attribute this self-inflicted spiral to state
LAHORE: To insinuate that any group is committing genocide is a serious accusation. Genocide is a term that evokes images of blood in the streets, of bodies piled up in mass graves discarded by some weapon-wielding mob bent on extinguishing the lives of a perceived enemy. Genocide, as it is understood, is something akin to physical domestic abuse, the shocking after-effects of which are readily apparent. There are, however, other forms of abuse (i.e., emotional or psychological), the results of which are more difficult to acknowledge. The same is true when it comes to the actions of a government that may not amount to genocide per se, but that result in the slow, painful demise of a citizenry nonetheless. The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, to which Pakistan is also party, states that genocide refers to an act committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group and this act may include “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part”.
What fits this description better than the wilful mismanagement of a state and its assets? The current fuel crisis is one in the long line of many recent disasters that slowly tear away at any misconceptions citizens of Pakistan may have about the will of the government to improve the state of the federation. Pakistan is in the midst of a crisis that, by the actions of its leaders, will be solved primarily through panicked finger-pointing, staunch denials or bemoaning alleged anti-government conspiracies. Events such as these are not one-off, at least not in this country. It has become difficult to shock the average Pakistani, difficult to evoke his ire or contempt. People do not take to the streets over the prolonged absence of basic utilities including electricity, water or gas. Thus, the nation’s ability to be outraged is now quite dead, the casualty of utter cleverness or utter incompetence by a government that has bombarded its people with one ridiculous problem after another.
The downward spiral of this nation shows no signs of slowing down; rather, the quiet mayhem inflicted by rampant mismanagement is now seemingly ignored. Thus, there is no outright massacre occurring, only the gradual haemorrhaging of a nation. A slow bleed does not invoke international headlines, nor does it prompt mass vigils. It does not get identified as genocide, a label that carries international criminal consequences. It does, however, create collateral damage.
There is no label for what Pakistan is enduring because no one wants to attribute this self-inflicted kamikaze spiral to the failure of the state. A label would require a reaction or the assignment of responsibility. In the midst of a massacre, the solution that requires intervention seems like the obvious one, but what is the obvious solution for a democratically-elected government that insists on bringing about the slow destruction of its population?
There is no alarm to sound because what is happening in Pakistan is not exactly genocide. It is a quiet abuse that leaves scars that no one wishes to see. Change would require trust, trust in one’s fellow citizen and trust that the system would allow for something better. Such an outcome seems rather difficult to achieve, albeit not impossible, amongst citizens who would rather line up for hours to fuel their vehicles, but would not protest against irresponsible government actions. There is, however, always hope, which unlike fuel, electricity, clean water, education or gas, is something which the people have aplenty.
Maira Sheikh
Published in The Express Tribune, January 25th, 2015.
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