Zaheer Bhatti
WHEN the leadership conducts itself contrary to its protestations there is something inherently wrong with its political instincts and ability to enforce its decisions as obviated by some instances of late. Shahid Afridi; belonging to the cricketing fraternity as does the Prime Minister, hit the bull’s eye the other day when vouching for Imran Khan’s personal integrity as do most Pakistanis, he tacitly observed that the Khan who was known for his firm decision-making as a cricketer, was found offering clarifications and justifications in his capacity as the Prime Minister of the country, and that it sounded good to listen to his rhetoric about the State of Madinah, but it would be meaningful only when translated into reality.
One, however, must not fault the PM aiming to fashion Pakistan on the pattern of the State of Madinah of the times of the Prophet (SAW), because one should not question the sincerity of his rhetoric and grant the man his right to dream and desire, as did Martin Luther King who had a dream to achieve racial justice in the US as reiterated in his historic address to a mammoth gathering against the Washington Monument. King did not succeed in his lifetime, but became a trail-blazer for the coming generations as Nelson Mandela achieved it against the Apartheid in South Africa while racial discrimination anywhere in the world today is looked upon with contempt; exposing the double standards and bigotry of the developed world; particularly the nations recognized as the largest democracies.
Modi is already beginning to get a taste of his bigotry as a bipartisan US government watchdog Commission on International Religious Freedom in its Annual Report 2019 published Tuesday last, has accused India of gross violation of religious freedom and discrimination particularly against its largest minority Muslim community including the majority Muslim population in its occupied State of Kashmir, and recommended blacklisting the country if it failed to drastically improve its record. The report prominently published in the ‘Guardian’ and ‘The News International’ and carried by Al-Jazeera’, has highlighted revocation of the special status of the Part of Kashmir held by India, and disapproves India’s divisive new Citizenship Law which the United Nations has described as fundamentally discriminatory.
But when the Commission includes Pakistan among the countries accused of religious discrimination referring to forced conversion of its minorities to Islam and outlawing the Ahmadis from its fold, it not only waters down the unmatched Indian perfidy but also calls for a profound reaction from Pakistan which besides demanding evidence, should formally protest at placing it in the same bracket as India whose hands are immersed in the blood of countless innocent Indian and Kashmiri Muslims for their crime of seeking freedom of choice. The Pakistani PM must also pay heed to the negative Press Freedom Report on Pakistan, and take immediate corrective measures before the global hawks waiting for an opportunity to mark Pakistan red are provided with one.
A few may doubt Imran Khan’s personal sincerity of transforming Pakistan into the State of Madinah, but making even a genuine beginning in that direction unfortunately is beginning to look suspect with the bunch of cronies barring a few exceptions gathered around him leading him nowhere and his Reforms Agenda aimed at a welfare state nowhere to be seen. His initial well-meaning declarations about affairs of the State and his U-turns have become synonymous to Zia-ul-Haq’s title of CMLA interpreted as ‘Contrary to My Last Announcement’; be they his vowing to bring back the looted State wealth, raining of Dollars the moment he’d come to power, and never to compromise Pakistan’s sovereignty by accepting foreign aid. He has done quite the reverse; getting further trapped with Corona Relief Packages from IMF, the World Bank and the ADB, all of which is an addition to the already whopping debt burden all of which has to be paid back.
The Khan and his team as rest of the countrymen rightly billed the medical fraternity as the real messiahs and the nation’s vanguard in its fight against the deadly virus as they were risking their lives in exposing themselves to the pandemic. But as one saw the doctor’s community being saluted in recognition of its dedicated performance around the country one learnt of a few casualties of doctors due to their exposure to Corona patients without a proper gear. The doctors held a Press Conference making impassioned appeals to the government for provision of protective gears for the medical and paramedic staff, without which no one would be left to attend to those exposed to the virus.
With inadequate response from the government the doctors staged a peaceful protest while making sure they did not impair their duties to the patients as they took turns in batches to register their demands. The doctors also preferred a petition to the court of law urging swift action only to see it callously turned down as mala fide. But it was extremely painful to see some Doctors being arrested and others warned against their genuine protest over exposing them to the grave risk. And whereas it is the bounden duty of the government to adequately equip the doctors’ community, there is no justification of a crackdown against the saviours, which is a great contradiction.
Yes! One does not endorse demand for extra pay and allowances from either the doctors or the Utility Stores staffers who also staged a strike, because this is time for everyone to voluntarily respond to the call of duty in this hour of national trial, and treat it as their contribution to the war on the virus. It is nevertheless the primary state responsibility to ensure that all officials besides the medical staff, whether exposed to declared patients or normal public dealings i.e., banks, ticketing counters, security staff deployed at public places, medicinal outlets, departmental stores etc, are at least provided with protective masks, sanitizers and gloves throughout the country.
—The writer is a media professional, member of Pioneering team of PTV and a veteran ex Director Programmes.
