The Pakistan of tomorrow

[VetDoctor]

The Pakistan of tomorrow
Kamila Hyat

Within days, we will know the results of Election 2013 – and also how it proceeds in terms of the violence we have seen mar the process so far. It is astonishing that, except for the parties directly affected – the ANP, the MQM and the PPP, other mainstream parties have chosen not to speak out on this bloodshed at all. As they continue with their own rallies, the PML-N, the PTI, the JUI-F and other forces have failed to condemn acts as brutal as the gunning down of ANP’s Sadiq Zaman Khattak, along with his four-year-old son, Emal in Karachi.
This silence does not augur well for the ‘Pakistan of tomorrow’ – the ‘Naya Pakistan’ that has emerged as the chief slogan for this election. The figure of Imran Khan represents what lies behind this slogan, associated of course firmly with the PTI. Indeed that party has become the main talking point ahead of the polls.
Enthusiasm in many places is clearly visible, and it is easy to understand why. After so many years of inept rule and indifferent governance people desperately seek change. This is why they stand up in cinema houses raising pro-Imran slogans; this is why school children cheer for Khan and people of all ages hope he will indeed rise to power.
That terrible incident on Tuesday, when Imran tumbled off a lifter unwisely being used to raise him onto a 20-foot stage near Liberty Market in Lahore, has added more sentiment. The sight of the injured Imran, suddenly looking older and more vulnerable than ever before, was undoubtedly a saddening one for all – quite beyond political considerations. The wave of sympathy he is receiving is shared by many, and his appeal for votes from his hospital bed could prove extremely effective in bringing out his voters.
But beyond this, as we unite to seek the welfare of a man who is undoubtedly a national hero for more reasons than one, we must think about what kind of Pakistan we really want for the future. Do we actually want a ‘new’ nation, or is there just too much risk that such a Pakistan will be one dominated even more so than now by extremist ideas, and by mindsets that push aside tolerance and which have succeeded in leaving us astonished when we peek back into albums from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, with their faded photographs, some in sepia, some in dimmed colour.
They show a ballroom dance in Quetta, groups of young girls dressed in a mix of shalwar kameez, saris and jeans posing at a Lahore college and New Year’s parties where the fear of a militant attack does not hide behind the smiles.
It was a time when tourists flocked the country, mountaineers sought climbing permits to ascend some of the world’s tallest mountains months in advance and homes in many large cities were bordered only by hedges – not concrete walls, stakes and watch-posts for guards.
Children played safely outside their homes, kidnappings and killings were a rarity and guns did not determine how lives were led. All this has gone, and while we hear of raging ‘tsunamis’ no one appears to talk of retrieving the gentle breezes of these lost times.
We need to think of what the ‘Naya Pakistan’ we hear of really means. In a set of recent interviews and speeches, Imran Khan has spoken of ending the war on terror. He says he is opposed to the Taliban but his party manifesto is vague on how they are to be dealt with – or then not dealt with at all and welcomed in as part of the ‘new’ country we apparently wish to create.
Imran has also declared that the Taliban did not kill Benazir Bhutto; we do not know how he can be so certain of this – and maintained that the present attitudes towards Ahmadis will continue under him. This is ironic for a party that claims to stand for justice.
No other state has opted to take it upon itself to determine the religion of a specific group of citizens. Ahmadis have been living under siege. They have been denied jobs, education at some schools and colleges and effectively de-franchised.
They have also been killed, tortured or thrown into jail, on the basis of belief. Is this justice? The PTI needs to think about this. It is true that a provocative video doing the rounds on social media led Imran to take up the issue.
But genuinely brave men – and women – stand up for what is right regardless of political risks or indeed risks to their lives. They take on oppressors including the Taliban – who have been guilty of the worst kind of brutalities in Swat, Kurram, South Waziristan and other places.
One of the most poignant media interviews recently came from an impoverished labourer in Karachi who said he would be voting for the ANP simply because they had taken on the militants and “given him back his Swat”.
These are all matters to think about. Of course we do not have much time to think now. But what kind of change are we really after? Yes, we need it. But perhaps we also need to think about it by finding ways to move back the hands of the giant clock that marks the passing of years and consider if we can recreate the peaceful, tolerant Pakistan that Jinnah dreamed of, others speak of and which once to a very great extent existed. Simply calling for ‘new’ is not always wise.
In just a few days from now, we will know what lies ahead for us. A hung parliament is being widely predicted. But no matter what happens, we need to remember that storms are not always welcome. Perhaps what we need is a calmer means to restore harmony and tolerance, beginning with small changes in our education curriculum and in other places.
We must accept that today militancy and extremism is the main threat that we all face. It is this enemy we need to combat forcefully. Other problems can then be taken on in a country that needs to move away from the ditch it has fallen into and become trapped in towards a future that is genuinely brighter and not one in which brutality and injustice continue to hold sway.
Email: kamilahyat@hotmail.com

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