The (not so) king’s speech

ISLAMABAD:

While enduring the all-pervasive confusion, chaos and insecurity of these days, I often recall the depressing scene of Delhi that prevailed during the reign of Bahadur Shah Zafar.

William Dalrymple has so compellingly captured the same in “The Last Mughal,” and if possible it must be made a compulsory-reading for the movers-and-shakers of our crippling state. One is easily convinced of this need after listening to Khawaja Mohammad Asif in the National Assembly this morning.

While studying at the Government College Lahore, Asif earned the reputation of a deadly prankster. Joining politics and becoming a prominent member of parliament seemed to have failed in injecting some ‘sobriety’ into him.

Asif was the first to get the microphone on Tuesday morning, when the National Assembly gathered for a general discussion on budgetary proposals. Although slightly disappointed with his not sticking to the habit of targeting some ministers for ridicule, most were stunned and also confused about how to report Asif’s speech, as it was being delivered.

The speech sounded astounding compared to the lackluster speech that Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had delivered on Monday evening while initiating the general discussion as the opposition leader.

Asif asserted that the Zardari-Gilani government was behaving like a helpless collaborator of those “bent upon running the state of Pakistan as a national security state.” The government, Asif continued, never showed any respect for parliament.

Since the killing of Osama bin Laden by a midnight raid at the start of last month, said Asif, people of Pakistan do not feel secure when it comes to defence of their country. Terrorists’ sneaking into Mehran Base in Karachi has compounded their fear. He took on the Naval chief with a straight bat for issuing conflicting and confusing statements over the issue and sarcastically wondered how: “Generals, travelling in luxury cars costing not less than Rs80 million, can generate any sense of security amongst the helpless people of Pakistan?”

And he forced me to recall “The Last Mughal” while comparing Babar with Aurangzeb. Commanders and soldiers of the founders of the Mughal Empire, he said, came to India on bare backs of their horses. By the time they reached Aurangzeb, “the generals began travelling in palanquins and we all know where that led to.”

He finished his speech with a clear message: “People of Pakistan will not feel secure unless our generals stop their addiction of a life of luxury.” One can only wish and pray that Asif would get away with the speech he delivered.



Published in The Express Tribune, June 8th, 2011.