Heads In The Sand

One more year, like thousands before it, has gone by. People are hoping against hope that the next year might be a better one. We have all heard (or seen) the negative things that have happened to this country ever since its inception. Whenever there seemed to be a ray of hope, something negative happened soon after.

The advent of every new year reminds me of a good friend, the late Khalid Hassan, former press secretary to Bhutto, who moved to London after the military coup. I met him years later at a function organised by famous poet Ms Kishwar Naheed. On one New Year’s Eve he sent me a verse by Ghalib: “Dekhiye pa’te hain ishshaq buton se kia faiz; Ek Brahman ne kaha hai key yeh sa’l acha hai” to which I responded with the following verse: “Logoan dua karo keh guzar jaey khair sey; Aasar keh rahe hain bura ye bhi saal hai.” Even today, I feel we need many prayers to salvage the ship we call Pakistan – a rather doubtful cause.

If we look at the events of the past year, we see nothing but violence, atrocities, use of dirty language in politics, etc. The wounds of the APS Peshawar massacre, the 1971 surrender at Dhaka, the Faizabad sit-in and the killing of so many civilians and law-enforcement personnel have still not healed. To me the December 16, 1971, surrender is still as fresh in my mind as when I saw it on TV. It was that scene that prompted me to return to Pakistan and do my bit for the country’s security and rehabilitation. But in trying to save us from further disgrace, my colleagues and I became victims of humiliation and vilification. The situation today is bad and the future does not look bright either. Our rulers are corrupt and incompetent without exception. When one compares our leaders to those of China, one cannot but feel ashamed.

The Model Town and Faizabad incidents have literally shaken the very roots of this country. We all watched the painful and tragic scenes on TV as our rulers tried to give ‘wise’ explanations and remarks. It is always due to the incompetence of the administration that the army, Rangers and/or FC personnel have to be called in to save the situation. Nawaz Sharif’s beneficiaries are all vying with each other in rhetoric wherein Maryam has emerged as the forerunner. The other day she tried to convince us into believing that the iqama was to save them from visa requirements. Do we believe that? Or was it to purchase property and operate bank accounts?

Our well-known and respected journalist, Sohail Waraich, wrote a good piece in the daily Jang on December 28, 2017 – in which he pointed out all of Nawaz Sharif’s follies. He criticised, rightly so, the handling of the Musharraf case. It could have been finalised in a matter of a few weeks, but let us not forget that the law minister responsible for the case was none other than Musharraf’s former law minister. Could we then expect anything different in this country? Barrister Akram Shaikh had said that the case should not last more than 15 days or so. Instead of bringing Musharraf to justice, a compromise was reached with General Raheel Sharif. If Nawaz Sharif wanted to do what he did, he could have allowed Musharraf to leave the country after his conviction, but he did not permit the law to take its natural course. Musharraf could have easily been lawfully convicted while confined to his home.

Nawaz Sharif’s followers forget that quite a few of his critics actually do feel sorry for his plight – only someone inhuman would rejoice at it. To point out mistakes or to criticise irrational behaviour is not enmity. However, those who speak the truth are always considered enemies, while sycophants are considered to be dear friends. Mian Sahib should learn from Zardari. Despite accusations and proof of ill gotten wealth, he still has a clean sheet, thanks to his subtle (read cunning) behaviour, respect for the judiciary and control on his tone. He passed the last five years without any scandals, even though he played a stooge to the US.

One wonders if Nawaz Sharif and his overly vocal daughter are aware of recent events in Australia, where the deputy prime minister was sent home by the court for retaining his childhood nationality of New Zealand. There was no fuss, no refusal to accept the situation, no questions; everyone behaved in a civilised manner. We, on the other hand, are in trouble but are behaving like ostriches by burying our heads in sand and believing that by doing so all our troubles will go away.

(Published in Monthly Tribute International on 01-01-2018)