STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan
Lahore is a city of extreme contrasts. Those living in “jhuggis”, temporary tents, scrape a living by rummaging through garbage, begging, petty thefts and low paying jobs. Their biggest challenge is the next meal. Then we have the wealthy bursting at seams, desperate to display their lavish lifestyles. The dwindling middle class is somewhere in between, fighting to keep their head above water facing this tsunami of a runaway inflation. This metropolis that has exploded on all sides has many contradictions.
In the new phases of the DHA, main boulevards are extremely wide. Phase 7 is slowly getting filled so the traffic is light. It is a perfect site for youngsters from affluent families to bring out their expensive motorbikes and use the roads as racing tracks at night. It is noisy and disturbs the residents, dangerous for riders, but the youngsters achieve their purpose. They seek thrills and get their high of living dangerously. It is youthful exuberance with some justification.
However what is going on in the country is without any purpose or rationale. We are going down a slippery slope that has no railings to prevent a disaster. The reckless drivers at the wheel have an insatiable desire to dominate and prevail no matter what it costs the country. This lunatic behavior has everyone inside the country and abroad confounded. What is the driving force behind this erratic, blindfolded obsession to be rid of IK and remove him from the political scene whatever the consequences?
The past 14 months in Pakistan have been a nightmare for its citizens. A huge chunk, comprising 80 to 90 percent of the population, has been crushed by food inflation running as high as 50%. As they grappled with this massive mismanagement by the criminal gang in power; they saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Through free and fair elections they will get their revenge. Since April 2022 the nation has gone through a metamorphosis. Previously,whenever a ruling party was ousted there would be widespread rejoicing amongst the masses. This time around the reaction was a complete opposite. The installation of a corrupt mafia was totally rejected.
For the next 12 months PDM, with the support of the establishment, unleashed a barrage of false cases against former Prime Minister. They used brutal violence to suppress PTI supporters and discredit IK through false accusations that gained no traction amongst the electorate. In fact PTI’s support grew by the day. Finally in April/May the gloves came off. A reign of terror was unleashed against the biggest party and a false flag drama was enacted on May 9th.
What has happened since then? Over 10,000 political prisoners are incarcerated in miserable conditions. Women political workers have been mistreated and manhandled for the first time in Pakistan. Media has been completely muzzled. The most outspoken critic, popular amongst millions of Pakistanis, Imran Riaz Khan has disappeared in the maze of intelligence agencies. IK has been isolated and PTI’s leadership has been rounded up.
The weak ones or those with skeletons in their closetsbuckled over. Many have gone underground. The brave ones including Omar Sarfaraz Cheema, Mian Mehmood-ur-Rashid, Ijaz Chaudhry, Chaudhry Pervez Ellahi, Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Tayyaba Shah in Punjab and Ali Muhammad Khan and Shehryar Afridi, along with many others stood firm. There is a litany of cases against them; they get bail in one and get re-arrested in the next one.
In this prolonged darkness some voices, driven by their conscience and beliefs, have given us a silver lining. They are Aitizaz Ahsan, Sardar Latif Khosa and Hamid Khan. There has been a change of guard post May 9th drama. Just as PDM miserably failed in managing the economy, they have failed politically too. GHQ has asserted their control on the economy and politics. After failure of PDM in caging IK despite ruthless tactics of Shahbaz Sharif and Rana Sana, the uniforms have taken control. Using May 9th as the watershed event, they want to use military courts to lock up IK and throw away the key. This move has been combated in the Supreme Court by above named lawyers and condemned globally. Let us hope the Bench has the spine to put an end to this illegal and unconstitutional tactic.
It is understandable why PDM wants to remove IK. They see a political giant lurking that will crush them at polls. He endangers their stolen and ill-gotten wealth by challenging a system that has acted as their enabler. However why has the army become partisan? IK has always stood for a strong Pakistan with an impenetrable defense; economy was growing without aid dollars, industry was booming, and remittances were on the rise. Why are they at cross purposes with someone who had put the country on the right track?
IK’s alternate is Sharifs and Zardaris who are incompetent, corrupt with no stakes in Pakistan. They are a poor choice by the decision makers. So what is their motivation? A power grab? A need to assert control? A personal vendetta? Repaying favors or dictates from beyond borders? None of them justifies derailing the democratic dispensation. The economy is collapsing; in few months it could be a carcass. Pakistan’s survival is at stake. It is time to step back and not let the country sink under its own weight as predicted by PM Modi. For Pakistan’s sake prove him wrong!
