Groundhog Day in Pakistan

For those who have observed Pakistan long enough, the statement “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” starts to look like an aphorism. Going through our history and current developments, there is a sense that the country and its power corridors are trapped in continuous déjà vu. Like the movie Groundhog Day, it seems we are doomed to relive the same old events all over again.

It was not too long ago that the Pakistani people found themselves almost at the mercy of the violent extremism. As we lived through – many among us did not – terror attacks day in day out, there was a sense, even within our leaders, that our own worse tendencies were to blame.

As we finally, for the most part, vanquished the scourge of terrorism, some among us allowed ourselves to be optimistic. We believed or at least hoped that those at the helm had realised that you cannot let extremism fester lest we suffer more of the same.

That optimism now seems premature. Our powers that be, it appears, have once again decided that appeasing an extremist fringe is the most prudent course of action. They may think it is just one movie and wonder what the big deal is, but as some concerned voices have already pointed out, it is in fact the worst move they could have made. After all, how can a government that caves in over a film take a firm stance when it comes to bigger challenges?

Following the theme of aphorisms, there are couple more clichés that our leaders would do well to dwell upon. That madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, and that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The protagonist in Groundhog Day is only able to break free from déjà vu upon realising he has been living wrong. There is no need to say more.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2020.

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