Don’t insult the nation’s intelligence

In the movie The Godfather, there is a famous scene where Al Pacino confronts the murderer of his elder brother who also happens to be the husband of his sister. The brother-in-law tries to decline having any role in the murder of Pacino’s elder brother. That is when Al Pacino gives him the confidence that he was not seeking revenge but that asking him to believe the lie that he was innocent was basically an insult to his intelligence. After all, that human need to refuse to acknowledge the lie was at the heart of Socrates drinking the poison cup.

When the United States was invading Iraq, the Bush administration came up with the lies that Iraq possessed the weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and that Saddam had links with Al Qaeda because Al Qaeda under Abu Musab Al Zarqawi was perched in northern Iraq. Both fictions were drilled into the American people’s heads who for the most part fell for that propaganda.

Almost nobody else in the rest of the world was fooled by it. And neither was their intelligence insulted because it wasn’t their consent or their tax money that President Bush was asking for in order to invade Iraq. Also, the citizens of the rest of the world did not have the power to stop President Bush either.

When a nation’s intelligence agencies are in the business of insulting the citizens’ intelligence, that is when small problems accentuate to levels where national unity is threatened. Pakistani citizens saw their intelligence insulted when they were told that Imran Khan was removed from the office as a result of a vote of no confidence. When people know their voices and opinions do not matter since it is not a democracy, then why the need for making up fictions to insult them further? The need for propaganda exists in democratic societies where people’s opinions and voices do matter. That is why there is a need to control how they think because their voices cannot be controlled.

It was that insult that resulted in a revenge, which the people expressed on February 8. Voting was the only expression left in this country. And they did express exactly that in a thunderous manner, which has shocked almost the entire world. Some countries, I was told, have even decided to include it in their courses as case studies to better understand people and democracies.

The insult of the nation’s intelligence continues at the time of this writing. Some of the corruption czars such as Zardari and Sharifs have come to an agreement where they would share the different offices of the government. Once again, everyone knows, there is nothing but absolute and brute power being exerted in order to shape outcomes and impose inorganic realities over the nation. Ramming down the nation’s throat the most artificial realities and the lies to go with would only weaken this nation. I personally wonder why going to such horrible lengths was even necessary when there is not an ounce of power in the hands or tongues of Pakistan’s citizenry. It is not like they will rise up and not be sent to dungeons by the thousands. It is not like the Biden administration is going to make any noise and decide to stand up for righteous values. It is not like India would mind seeing these crooks back in power inside Pakistan. So, what is all this drama making and all this psychopath rationale for anyway? Here is a simple slogan that will work for everyone and both the cynics and idealists would find intellectual refuge in: freedom and democracy are for aliens, screw hope.

The outcome and the realities of Pakistanis wouldn’t change with it but at least the nation’s intelligence wouldn’t be insulted. Perhaps people would find honesty in the biggest lie, strength in the most devastated facade, oxygen in this open air prison that Pakistan has become snatching the title from Gaza.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22^nd, 2024.

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