STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is an English classic novel written by R. L. Stevenson in 1886, a must read for students of literature. The title got co-opted into English language as a reference for one person alternating between good and evil. Dr. Jekyll represents a kind respected Gentleman in Victorian England and his other persona, Mr. Hyde is evil, lecherous and cruel. Multiple films, TV serials and stage dramas were based on this novel.
It presents the dual personalities of Dr. Jekyll who controlled emergence of Hyde by consuming a potion. Unfortunately, evil finally prevails leading to the suicide of Dr. Jekyll fearing exposure and humiliation. He embodies a façade of respectability harboring sociopathic tendencies. We are seeing it being played out on our political scene now.
The US withdrawal from Afghanistan has changed the power dynamics in the region. US had propped up a regime that seems incapable of standing up to the battle hardened Taliban. US presence had facilitated entry of India into Afghanistan in the garb of a friendly regional power. Its real purpose was to support anti-Pakistan forces that could destabilize and squeeze Pakistanis.
The expedited departure has left Indians without a roof over their head leaving the Afghan Government and Indians extremely vulnerable. As a reaction they are going for broke risking everything in an all out effort to safeguard their interests within Afghanistan and disrupt Pakistan through their proxies. In the greater scheme of things India is ready to take on China and finds an increasingly independent Pakistan a stumbling block.
The US Secretary of State in a recent visit to India called it “a vital player in the region”. USA is willing to support Indian ambitions backed by the recently formed “Quad” nexus that includes Australia and Japan. Confronting and containing China has become the lead foreign policy objective of the Biden regime. The immediate thorn in their side is the evolving situation in Afghanistan with Taliban on the rise.
Chinese have reached out to Taliban. Recently a Taliban delegation led by Mullah Baradar met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The Chinese have assured their support towards reconciliation and reconstruction of Afghanistan. Both China and Pakistan support a government based on reconciliation that includes all the parties.
Peaceful Afghanistan will be a boon for the region and Belt and Road Initiative. It shall open land route to warm waters for Central Asia and Russia and provide China access to European markets by land. This solution is utterly unacceptable to India or the faltering regime of Ashraf Ghani. They would rather have a civil war develop in Afghanistan fueling an influx of Western resources and a dominant role for Indians.
In this scenario PM Modi is pulling out all the plugs and mobilizing his linkages to Pakistan. He has a very powerful ally in Pakistani mainstream politics through ex-PM Nawaz Sharif. NS unofficially heads PML(N), the largest faction of Muslim League that led the struggle for Pakistan. The soul of this party is loyalty to the ideology of Pakistan. Its main power base is Punjab, a home to 62% Pakistanis.
Punjabis were on the frontline in confrontations with India. They are a bulwark of support for the oppressed Kashmiris etched in their hearts and minds. They will not accept kowtowing to India at the cost of Kashmiri brethren.
Majority of the manpower in Pakistani forces are drawn from Punjab since pre-partition. Armed Forces are held in high esteem and disrespecting them is intolerable. This is the Dr. Jekyll part of the equation.
Nawaz Sharif is also the head of the Sharif Clan. They were inducted into politics through the nursery of a Military Dictator. His rise as head of his own faction of Muslim League was facilitated by General Zia. He became Prime Minister twice with blessing of Army Chiefs.
As his popularity got entrenched, mainly in Punjab, his arrogance grew. As a businessman holding the levers of power in Pakistan and Punjab his greed to accumulate wealth by any means grew immensely. Billions in illegally acquired money was laundered out of the country.
Finally it all caught up with him. He is now a convicted felon and an absconder who weaseled his way to UK. His face in Pakistan is his daughter Maryam Nawaz. Both father and daughter are sociopaths, uncaring for everyone but themselves. They have adopted the persona of Mr. Hyde ready to demolish every part of Pakistani power structure. They are seeking to force their way back even if means getting into bed with the enemy.
NS has constantly attacked Army leadership singing off on a script written by PM Modi and his team. He is getting away with it without much reaction from the Establishment.
What all the proofs and NAB cases could not achieve is being served out by NS himself- his common cause with Modi. The public is seeing through this devilish enterprise. PML(N)’s power base is fast eroding as is evident in elections in AJK and Sialkot. The masses view their Armed Forces as protectors and heroes and therefore rejecting this unpatriotic platform. It is political suicide akin to Dr. Jekyll’s.
A vast majority of PML(N) parliamentarians are good Pakistanis. They need to distance themselves from this unfortunate rhetoric that can potentially harm our national interest. They need to wake up and take charge of their legacy as true Muslim leaguers who paved the way for creation of our homeland.
