Pakistan swallows the blue pill

In the movie Matrix, Keaunu Reeves is given a choice between taking either the red pill or the blue pill. The red pill is to learn unsettling and life-changing truths which may be hard to experience. The blue pill is to remain in the status quo, never changing conditions, and business as usual. While Reeves took the red pill, Pakistan took the blue one. It took the easy way out. It always has.

The Saudis have pledged billions of dollars of cash to be deposited in Pakistan’s treasury. Other nations have pledged some level of cash as well. The one that stood out to me in the list was France with its $10 million. This PDM government consists of Maulana as well who until recently was making noise about boycotting French products and organising protests against France over the publications of blasphemous cartoons in French newspapers.

The PDM-led government is basically accepting French taxpayers’ money so that it can help feed its own citizens so that they can come out in the streets to protest against the same French taxpayers, whenever they’ll again publish some blasphemous cartoons in the same of free speech. It’s funny but in an ugly way.

Nevertheless, this sure would give some boost to the PDM and their campaign during the coming election cycle. Maybe this is by design but who cares? When has public knowledge of the truth ever mattered in Pakistan?

The Saudis have made the largest pledge. It may be touted as a great success for Pakistan but we have yet to see success stemming out of foreign debts. The money coming in may be titled as donation or investment but they’re perhaps worse than debts because while debts would have to be paid back with interest, this might be paid back with blood. Big nations don’t make investments and donations without expecting a return.

“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies,” Thomas Jefferson said. While he was talking about the American liberties against local banks, I was just vividly reminded of this quote when I saw soldiers in uniform standing next to robes wearing Saudis with deep pockets filled with enormous cash. Believe me, the latter appeared stronger despite wearing no uniform.

In brick kilns where workers work under enormously harsh circumstances, life never changes for the labourers. They spend a lifetime including the lives of their children trying to repay the debt they incur while working there. They never come out of that vicious cycle. Repeating the same things and not looking for other avenues of work and progress ensures that status quo. Perhaps this country can learn from its own kiln workers to avoid being like them.

Furthermore, this debt cycle and donation-hungry mindset that Pakistan has developed do a lot of damage to the psyche of the nation. The people internalise this rationalised nonsense that Pakistan must depend on donations from other nations in order to survive. I was flabbergasted to see the rhetoric of the morally bankrupt opinion leaders in the country where they were trying to create this narrative of rejoicing over this great national achievement. There’s no concern or thought given to national dignity and respect. What kind of a national character do we have when we expect our leaders to do this sort of thing successfully?

Sure, the money might pay some bills and control the recalcitrant dollar. However, this blue pill is the painkiller that Pakistan took to take care of the pain now. The cancer, however, is still there and has spread to not only every part of the country but also to the national mindset where this is actually celebrated.

People and nations have always failed in comfort zones. The worst addiction one can have is not the drugs but rather living in a comfort zone. No fruit ever grew out of there.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2023.

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