Violence and leadership

Violence or the use of force is increasingly becoming a key feature of our national and social life. One important aspect of violence and conflict in Pakistani society is that the basic structure of the society is authoritarian, patriarchal and tribal. In such a society violence and conflict are but natural outcomes of social interactions and social relationships. In our society where the values are quite non-democratic, peace cannot be a sought after value or goal. Instead all those tools and institutions which can be used to force one’s opponents to give in to one’s demands are most cherished.

Wherever peace has been prevailing in Pakistani society, it has largely been ‘negative’ peace one that amounts to a cessation of hostilities. This kind of peace is largely the result of a ‘balance of terror’ among individuals and groups. People have been desisting from using violence against each other lest they could be meted out equally violent treatment from the rivals. However, peace that is arrived at through the mechanism of ‘balance of terror’ is not sustainable, particularly in the societal context. Although in the arena of international politics, the balance of terror created by the development of nuclear weapons by rival superpowers like the US and the erstwhile USSR and regional powers like Pakistan and India has proved quite sustainable. Especially in Pakistan with its authoritarian perennially conflict prone social structure, the mechanism of balance of terror results in uneasy and fragile peace.

On the other hand, ‘positive’ peace, which means the conditions that eliminate the causes of violence, has not been a key feature of peace in Pakistani society. Only a conscious, democratic, extensively political, educated and aware society and people can be expected to have ‘positive’ peace. These conditions have to be created from without as they do not exist within. As making society and people conscious, democratic, political and educated cannot be done at once as it is a gradual process, therefore, having ‘positive’ peace in our society would require considerable time. However, it depends upon the state and societal leadership how they go about creating the conditions for it. If the vision and aim is clear and policy priorities correct, it is not difficult to have positive peace in society and the country.

But for that we need true leadership. Such leadership emerges mainly in two ways. The first way is that there must be objective and subjective realisation within the society and its members respectively that the prevailing situation is terrible and that the current leadership does not have what it takes to respond to the situation. Thus a process of identification by society and its members starts to discover alternative leadership, be it an individual or a group. The potential and conscientious leader(s) at this stage also bring themselves to the public sphere and society accepts them as their messiahs.

The second way in which true leadership emerges to stem the rot and reverse the cycle of violence is that circumstances give birth to such leadership. In this situation there is no or little objective and subjective realisation within society and its members that the prevailing appalling situation is due to leadership vacuum. Resultantly, there is hardly any effort by them to locate alternative or true leadership. However, the potential leader(s) considering that the situation is really bad and there is an exigent need to lead from the front. Therefore, they need to come forward without waiting for the cues and invitation from the people to lead the latter.

Insofar as Pakistan is concerned our society and its members have been extensively and profoundly affected by violence. There is subjective realisation regarding the leadership vacuum and the need to have new leadership. However, there is hardly any objective or collective realisation. Resultantly, there is no or little societal or collective response to put an end to violence. Certain potential leaders have emerged but they also have so far been unable to organise themselves to respond to the situation. Therefore, violence has been spiralling, proliferating and pervading at each level of social interaction whether domestic, social or national.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3^rd, 2017.

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