Zaheer Bhatti
ONE is sick and tired of the political divide in Pakistan including the Treasury Benches, parroting the ‘22 crore Awam’ mantra; each one claiming to represent the voice of the entire country, whereas they at best only represent those who voted for them whether accidentally or by choice. This does not constitute more than 20 % of the entire population with half of it not eligible to vote and a further nearly 50% of eligible voters largely disillusioned with the system or false promises of the leadership delivering nothing and not turning out to vote. Simply explained, notwithstanding accusations of stealing the election by the Opposition and the Rulers chiding it for being bad losers, among the mainstream parties claiming presence in all Provinces, PTI the ruling party in election 2018 polled 1.69 crore votes (31.83%), followed by PML (N)1.29 crores (24.35) and the PPP 0.69 crores (13.03). This together with rest of the votes polled among a plethora of parties that ‘also ran,’ leaves merely around 5 crores who actually voted. The remaining 17 crore; including eleven crore underage and over 6crore others are a silent majority never considered.
To critics who might say that this was true of every other Country, my answer is that those nations never exaggerate their claim to represent the whole Country. Advice to the political mandarins would therefore be not to overstretch their claim to representation where they together do not account for more than 17-18% of the often exploited figure of 22 crores. In the recently concluded elections in Gilgit-Baltistan which ought to have sent a strategically positive message across, the Pakistani politicians once again demonstrated that they were bad losers; Donald Trump doing the same being no consolation. The other misfortune of this Country is that both sides of the political divide are unable to differentiate between the Government and the State and are invariably seen shooting themselves in the foot by treading and trading accusations which, only pleases the enemies of the State. And the worst is that instead of being chastened by sane advice from discerning analysts and critics and avoiding loose talk, these politicians refuse to learn and exercise caution and mindlessly accusing each other of treason; one out of exuberance desiring ‘Azadi for Balochistan’ most likely meaning political and economic freedom within the Federation, and the other promptly declaring the entire Opposition the third missing component of Triangular Axis of Evil; thoughtlessly equating it with India and Israel, which makes it worse.
A word about the continued campaign of the West in caricaturing the Last Prophet (SAWW), the latest diatribe against the Islamic faith labelling individual acts of emotion as Islamic Terrorism by the French President Emanuel Macron justifying caricaturing of the Holy Prophet as a right to freedom of expression, Pakistan’s leadership instead of reflecting the emotion and indignation of the Muslim world for whom any blasphemous depiction or reflection upon the Holy Prophet (SAW) was a matter of faith and displaying unanimity of condemnation on the floor of Parliament whose dignity they cry hoarse to uphold, themselves made a mockery of it by failing to stick to the single point agenda and once again dishonouring their own mandate, and insulting the vote they plead to respect.
It was a shame to witness in the Lower House the other day that whereas a unanimous Resolution of not just condemning but one demanding boycott of French goods by the Islamic Ummah and demanding apology from French President Macron justifying blasphemous sketches of the Holy Prophet (SAW) as freedom of expression, the House which rarely displays maturity, digressed from the single point agenda and turned it into another blame-trading bout, over which leave alone the enemies of the State, every Pakistani felt embarrassed. By all means resort to political point-scoring challenging each other’s performance but not at the expense of the State where all must merge and present a face of undeterred unity, as do all self-respecting nations. Before accusing the sitting Government over doing nothing for missing persons particularly in Balochistan and selling out on Kashmir, the Opposition must pause to probe their own conscience over what better they themselves had done when in power. Public memory is not short, but i will not repeat what has been repeatedly stated to mirror performance of the Opposition on the core National Issue of Kashmir.
As for the Government, it will go only if a genuine people’s movement arose from the masses not in support of the political agenda of respective political parties but against unbearable prices, unemployment and lack of health and education for all. As a momentary reprieve nevertheless, allow me to say that Imran Khan is a dreamer unfortunately surrounded by more of the same lot of opportunists rather than those committed to his idealism. He is not just a dreamer but reads and observes which not many leaders in the past except perhaps ZAB have done. In sharing a French writer and poet Alphonse de Lamartine’s awe-inspiring quotes about the Last Prophet (SAWW) his comments in the wake of reaction to Macron’s Islamophobic expression, not only dwarfs but puts to shame such diatribe. The quote which is worth sharing on the social media across the world says,” If greatness of purpose, smallness of means and astonishing results are the three criteria of a human genius, who could dare compare any great man in history with Mohammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded if anything at all no more than material powers which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peoples, dynasties, but millions of men in one third of the then inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and the souls.”
—The writer is a media professional, member of Pioneering team of PTV and a veteran ex Director Programmes.
