Reality check
The Punjabi Taliban declare themselves committed to converting us all rather than blowing us to smithereens, the floods are still ongoing and have taken a dreadful toll but no, it was/is not 2010 all over again. There was brief excitement on the interwebs when Rehman Malik might have pushed the protocol envelope a tad too far — might, the precise circumstances of his failing to board PIA flight PK-370 get cloudier by the minute — and no, it is not going to trigger wholesale usurping of generations of genetically embedded entitlement. Millions have voted with the remains of their common sense and not flocked to Islamabad (shortly to be renamed Naya Jallozai if the semi-permanence of tented encampments is anything to go by) and stayed at home and murder, rape, robbery and corruption remain high on the national ‘to-do’ list.
But hist … bend an ear to the breeze Dear Reader because there is very definitely a whiff of something-or-other in the air. Could it be that Leviathan is stirring? Goaded by the pricks of pins wielded by a brace of men whose connection to the real world is decidedly tenuous at best?
Whether one is pro or anti any of the parties involved, be they mainstream and ossified or the recycled newbies that were only new very briefly and a long time ago, it has to be conceded that there is a quickening of the pulse of that most elusive of giants …The Masses.
If nothing else the Robespierres of Containerland might have touched a national nerve. Their methods are arguably clumsy and crude and undemocratic to a fault, their rhetoric flagging and flaccid, but though they are not going to achieve their aim in the short term of unseating a government that has never in truth been threatened by them, they have taken a mighty bite out of its underpinnings.
Parallel to a little al fresco political cannibalism there is a hoeing of rows and a planting of seeds. A goodly number of those seeds are female. The participation of women in the protests has been notable in that they come from across the social spectrum, and some that have been interviewed have expressed their satisfaction at living in an unsanitary car park for several weeks, this being preferable to the four walls and kitchen that was their previous exclusive abode.
The other large group of seeds, cast either side as the sower walks the row, are young, male and female, educated, articulate and digitally adept. They are not yet sufficiently numerous or powerful enough to, by themselves, topple the Walls of Jericho, neither do they have much by way of decent trumpets, but there is a glint in their eyes as they line up the mangonels and pot-de-fer and consult Lao-Tzu.
And if there is a glue that binds every one of them together, young and old, men and women, rich and poor, it is the determination to reject the old political narratives that have dominated from the very birth of the state. In a country where change — real change — is anathema to most, the desire to do it differently may have at last been catalysed. It is not only the merry campers that have received the news that yes, they can make a difference, it is the countless millions who watch from their homes, quietly with their families.
There is a growing realisation that the Old Order must pass, and the Titans of Containerland represent the writing on the wall, though not — yet — the final nail in the coffin. Watch this space.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 18th, 2014.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
COMMENTS (9)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1733707590-0/Jay-Z-(5)1733707590-0-405x300.webp "article")
Second attempt at a comment, for some strange my first comment on your articles Sir, fails. Your ending was both visionary and apt.....enjoyed the read.
Insaf means jestice and no body disagreed with IK what he is saying but no one dare to say that truth what IK saying jaye imran
At any given time in almost any country of the world, even US where most recent elections have gone to the wire, there is a very high degree of dissatisfaction from the opposition supporters and a corresponding degree of satisfaction by the government supporters. However, in country the opposition tries to remove an existing government through mob control - at least not in a democracy or by those claiming democracy.
TUQ is a nobody in Pakistani politics and the less said about him the better. IK and PTI came out a force but have recklessly squandered their awe and clout. Yes, they had support but pretty much to the extent that they won in the elections. It is stupid to say that others like PMLN, PPP or MQM or even JUIF etc did or do not have any genuine support. PTI has done nothing remarkable in KPK yet, 1 year being a short period but deceived by its own rhetoric it decided to make a long march to Isl which has miserably failied. Rather than putting its tail where it belonged, it has made a mockery of itself. PTI and IK are now more associated with rididule, wild allegations, coarse language, empty threats and U Turns than for any thing positive, of course, except by its rabid supporters who though - as conclusively proven - were never enough to fill in a long march or cause a ripple on the streets.
Yes, PTI had or may be still has a role of playing a strong oppositon and keeping a check on the dynastic tendency of NS and SS but by wasting away its clout on the senseless and insanely long dharna, PTI has already lost much if not all of its potential. This is what its sincere leaders would regret for a long time to come.
@observer: True you see women in Dharma. That is positive aspect. But we also see that when discussion take place, only men are doing it. Women are just for creating a good image. But it is good that they participate.
A similar spanking is about to be delivered to the ossified political class in the UK by their Scottish brethren. Enough is enough. No more.
Wakey, wakey time!
@observer: succinctly put.
1. The participation of women in the protests has been notable in that they come from across the social spectrum, and some that have been interviewed have expressed their satisfaction at living in an unsanitary car park for several weeks, this being preferable to the four walls and kitchen that was their previous exclusive abode.
Yes Sir. On this I would agree with you. Emancipation of the Pakistani women may be an unintended consequence of the Islamabad Dharnas, though it is too early to say which way will it turn. Whether the menfolk will continue to support their stepping out of the kitchen and into the Political will largely depend on the extent to which 'Tabdeeli' has actually arrived. And that brings me to the second issue.
2. In a country where change — real change — is anathema to most, the desire to do it differently may have at last been catalysed.
I am a little sceptical of this. True Democracy and Azaadi would also demand that the structures of privilege and oppression be dismantled. I see no evidence of that in the manifesto of the Liberation and Revolution brigades. I do not find them advocating (a) Land Reforms (b) Equal treatment to all citizens and abolition of the 2nd Amendment and Hudood Laws (c) Equal religious freedom and repeal of Blasphemy laws.
May be a change in personnel is the only change that is being sought here.
A very good piece i must say. I have to agree with you, the Titans of the containerland do represent the writing on the wall. Everyone that i have talked to agrees with his vision but not his methodology. The chances of it being the final nail in the coffin are still very low but at least the leader of the containerland is acting as a catalyst in telling the people that the old order must pass as it doesn't belong in the 21st century.
Yup I can see a final nail in the coffin of the Titans of Containerland.