Fault Lines within our political system
Imran Khan walked into the Supreme Court and was cordially greeted by the Chief Justice of Pakistan “Very glad to see you” according to the old cliché the gloves are off and no holds barred we have reached this stage and now the nation waits with abated breath for he daggers drawn stage. The country simply cannot bear any further divisions or fragmentations of its institutions and civil society. The need of the hour is to immediately douse the raging fires of hatred and violence because the nation just cannot bear the crippling stresses any more. The very recent drama of the arrest of Imran Khan and the resultant violent backlash unleashed by the tiger force of the PTI has laid bare the deep rooted flaws and the dangerous fault lines in our political system. The powerful military establishment has always been the power behind the throne during the last seventy five years of our existence and most elected governments have very happily danced to the tune of the establishment. The irrational and provocative rhetoric of Imran Khan against the military interference in politics is being applauded by his band of fanatical supporters forgetting the fact that all his anger and bitterness is very personal perhaps he does not believe in the old saying ‘Don’t bite the hand that feeds you” He was very happy with the establishment as long as they supported and helped him to rule the country but the moment they removed their blessings they became Mir Jaffar in his book so now the dangerous political drama continues in the unfortunate crises ridden land of Pakistan.
Any major political change in Pakistan like the emergence of Z.A. Bhutto or even the demise of General Zia has always ignited hopes of a revolution. The violent protests by the Imran supporters on the streets of all major cities have again brought hopes of a meaningful change. Is this the revolution that will set things right or is it just the expression of frustration and anger by the ordinary Pakistani? The revolt against the sky high inflation, poverty, price spiral unemployment and crime? One major fault in our political system is the absence of a strong working class and their presence in the political process. This absence of a strong working class in politics has been the main impediment in the development of a strong democratic system. Young members of the working class have very little representation in the political process and their voices are never heard by the powers that be. The working class youth have no options but to fight for their rights and better their economic conditions. The attack on the military officers house in Lahore is reminiscent of the attack on the Bastille in Paris during the revolution these people are not making a political statement they are simply angry, frustrated and hungry. As long as the political elite remain subservient to the IMF and the World Bank there is little hope of any improvement in the conditions of the toiling masses
The incarceration of Imran Khan has nothing to do with the rights of the common man or the defending the constitution it is only a ploy for intimidation. The establishment continues to play its old game of pulling the strings from behind as an expert puppeteer. The powerful establishment will never allow any party or political leader to challenge its authority or refuse to dance to their tune. The working class people should demand more from the political elite. We have now reached a stage where now only a political party led by revolutionary working class people can launch a revolution to bring about the change so desperately needed by the nation to march towards the goal of being a prosperous and democratic country. The credit of giving representation to the working class in Pakistan can only be given to two parties that is the MQM and the Awami League in East Pakistan but sadly both parties met a sad end.
The present condition of Pakistan is like the scene of a devastated battlefield. The establishment, the Govt. the opposition and the working class are all entangled in a bitter struggle with no end in sight. What is happening in Pakistan is not an isolated event. The very recent scenes in Iran during the 2017 elections were truly surprising when people chanted slogans in favor of the disgraced ex monarch Raza Shah Pehalvi and the Govt. has also faced a severe protest movement against the Hijab. The recent upheaval in Sri Lanka against their political elite is another example. The country has suffered a lot being first door neighbor to Afghanistan, where superpowers have been coming to try their fates. In the Russo-Afghan War and then the US invasion of Afghanistan, the country had to constantly balance between superpowers pressures and its own existence. Strategies had to be devised so that Afghanistan would not be occupied with interests of those who would bear malign intent towards Pakistan, nor would that Afghanistan prove to be a jumping board into Pakistan.
—The writer is Professor of History, based in Islamabad.
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