You, You & You

No, no, no this is so not right. You’re not so principled and not so value-bound, so do not pretend to play the part. Stop being revolting, even though that may just not be possible.

Oh, I see that mock shock on your face! Are you shocked that no one believes for a second that your opposition to the military courts is not genuine in intent? Really? How dumb do you think we are? No, seriously, how dumb? For why else would you even think for a second that we cannot see through your reasoning and logic? Why else would you believe you can say what you say without meaning what you say and still stay perched up on that high horse of yours?

No Einstein, it is actually that simple. You oppose military courts because this opposition suits you personally in one way or the other. Actually, ‘selfish’, is the word I’m looking for. Yep, that simple. So, you, you, and you — all of you — please know this: you have no legs to stand on.

As a principle, are military courts undesirable? Absolutely. As a principle. Those among us who can claim to have lived their lives in a principled way, and have clearly displayed they value principles more than personal interests, have the right to oppose military courts. Their opposition is genuine, and real, and worthy of respect.

But you, you, and you? I mean, get real. Have you held the rule of the law supreme all your life? Do you hold it supreme now, today? Have you cried hoarse over the denial of justice to Pakistanis every day? Do you think the rule of law prevails in your thanas and katchehris? Have you raised hell over the denial of rights to the weak and oppressed among us? Have you ever — ever — looked into the eyes of the little girl begging on the traffic light, and seen the reflections of your magnificent failures? Can you even see this little kid from within the heights of your growling vehicle?

You who stood in parliament, and you who didn’t, look around you and see the grinning faces of many scoundrels who have managed through their elected and mandated prowess to whiten much that is black. You know their deeds, and you really know their misdeeds — both before and after their elections. We know you do. We also know that you know that many of these scoundrels should be behind bars. They’re not. You know why? Because of you, you, and you. Yes because you wield power, and power trumps law here in this land that you and your ilk lord over. It does so because you bend it, wring it, twist it till it suits you. This is your power base; this is your source of patronage; this is what makes people dependent on you, and not on the law.

You, you and you, all of you are lawbreakers in the garb of lawmakers.

So enough of this charade about military courts subverting democracy. If they do, at least you have no right to complain. Does a fake degree not subvert the law? Does beating up people in courts not subvert the law? Does implicating opponents in false cases not subvert the law? Does forcing the police to falsify evidence in your favour not subvert the law? Does giving jobs on kinship instead of merit not subvert the law? Does stuffing ballot boxes not subvert the law? Does keeping our children uneducated not subvert the law?


So what law are you talking about? What principles are you talking about? This hypocrisy that you wear like a grand cloak; this two-faced approach to life that you adorn like a badge of honour — all this is nothing more than a twisted and grotesque way of protecting your interests. You know now that we know now that this is precisely why we are where we are. Your brand of governance has stifled the natural growth of this society and stymied progress and evolution. It is your thinking, your actions and your self-centred priorities that have raped the law, and ravaged basic notions of merit, justice and equality.

You, you and you are the villains. And you have the temerity; you have the gall; you have the audacity to talk about the higher values of law? What do you take us for?

And look at you now, fully exposed, warts and all. Look at you standing all alone, sulking because you couldn’t have your way. Look at you shedding crocodile tears when you should have been shedding tears of blood. Just look at you.

And look at us. Look at us joining hands to fight the beast you love to love. Look at us finding lost bearings, discovering latent courage and acquiring the will needed to slay the dragon you feed and nourish. Yes look at us looking at the sorry you and feeling a sense of satisfaction — and disgust.

You, you and you are now on the wrong side of Pakistan. And you are not alone. There are many of your kind who will realise that their puny ambitions have far exceeded their capacity to govern this country. Like you, you and you, they too shall soon be exposed for the shallowness, incompetence and ill-intent they have tried to hide all these years. Like you, they too have cloaked themselves in law and legitimacy; they too have blanketed themselves in warm hues of enforced respectability. But like you, they too shall shrink to their original size and scurry away to the safety of their doll houses.

So you, you and you, do you now see how we see how you may be about to lose the plot? Just because you have fooled all the people all the time doesn’t mean the people will carry on getting fooled for the rest of your life. Know this then, that we know that lawbreakers cannot be lawmakers. And they certainly have no right to act all self-righteous about the military courts.

So you, you and you, go count your fundings and your blessings. Both will run short sooner than you think.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th,  2015.