Where there is fear…

In 2007, Nelson Mandela founded a group of independent leaders from around the world with the hope that their collective experience could somehow influence (worldwide) peace, justice and human rights. Pakistan’s Hina Jilani is a member of the group, as are, inter alia, Jimmy Carter, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Graca Machel, Lakhdar Brahimi and Mary Robinson.

At the start of this year, the Chair of The Elders, Kofi Annan, released their New Year’s message. The second sentence reads: “Looking back at the events of 2014 and ahead to the global challenges we confront in 2015, it can seem that our world is almost paralysed by fear.” He goes on to expand on the various types of fear that inflict most of the world. As far as this country is concerned his words are most apt.



Basic fear is one thing: there are those who fear for their lives and those of their families, who face constant threats of violence, hunger or disease. Well, of those we have millions for whom fear is a fact of life. Less of a fact is the fear of change, of the unknown and ‘the other’, stemming from the rise of “aggressive nationalism and identity politics, and in growing religious extremism and sectarianism”. Identity politics abound in this Islamic Republic and its fear fuels religious extremism and murderous sectarianism.

But it is the fear we see in our political leaders that disgusts and repels the most — the fear of losing face, of losing popularity, and above all of losing power. In the grip of such fears, prospects are dire indeed. Where does this country have a civilian or other political leadership, or for that matter when has it had one, which can see within its own national boundaries, let alone beyond them, and beyond the next election? Devoid of wisdom, integrity and any form of compassion for their fellow human beings, they have degraded and disgraced what was 67 years ago a possibly viable country.

Fear, it permeates, it destroys, as we are seeing and have seen. Franklin D Roosevelt’s famed saying “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” is seldom completed — “nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyses needed efforts to convert retreat into advance”. The latter is exactly what we have witnessed with this ridiculous government and its fearful surrender to a superior force. What was it other than fear that prodded the government to ‘talk’ to the enemies of the people (probably in certain cases allies of the great leadership who could extort vengeance); what other than fear has prompted it to agree to military courts? The joke is the government’s constant stance since last month that there is ‘unity’ amongst us all. Well, ha-hah, anyone looking for unity will have a hard time finding it either amidst the farcical parliamentary leadership or amongst the beloved awam.

But then, our leaderships of whatever hue, despite what passes for elections in this sorry land, have never had the rightful support of the people, simply because the people are not that stupid that they cannot see through them. Neither are they interested in what is expected of them, nor do they in any way hold themselves accountable. They are the emperors of gulab jamans, soggy, mushy, syrupy. They have either ‘fixed’ themselves into the chairs they occupy, or in some cases have been ‘fixed’ by other forces. They are mostly outmoded, having blighted the national scenario for decades, and now they have been outgunned by the army generals who rightly occupy the posts to which they have ascended.

There has been much moaning and groaning in certain quarters about the quasi military takeover, all rather stupid knowing what is known about the political supremo. Voted in and supported by the likes of Rabbani/Ahsan, now self-flagellating, how come the surprise at how things have panned out?

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th,  2015.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.