As elections approach in Pakistan, well at least talk of elections becasue in Pakistan, elections are an elusive phenomenon, I thought of posting something I wrote in 2019 but never got around to posting it. It is however, as relevant today as it was then and will be relevant for a long time to come as I dont see anything changing in Pakistan:
As I read different views of people, on various talk shows, in newspaper articles, social media, trying to pin down, some in good faith, where the problem lies with our society, the diagnosis I have picked up is religious intolerance, government apathy, rise of religious fundamentalism, some have even talked about illiteracy. That pretty much covers the spectrum of the debates in the wake of Mishal Khan or any incident since or before it.
Any one of this diagnosis can be fixed in short term through force or radical change. It is something which can be covered marvelously by 24 hours news channels and we can have a fantastic coverage of real-time events as they unfold. It is possible, if the will is there, to cure our society of these ills in our own lifetime if any one or even all of these ills are what our society is suffering from.
In my opinion these are not the disease but the symptoms of the disease. The real disease that is plaguing our society or even mankind worldwide, in varying degrees, is loss of human dignity! I will illustrate this in the context of Pakistani society. The root of all that we have suffered and continue to suffer as a society in Pakistan is that the people of Pakistan from the very inception have been used and abused by their political or religio-political masters. And I mean inception, the founders of Pakistan laid a foundation of abuse of human beings. They were stripped of their human dignity when they were herded into a fence. Even though as many Muslims were left out to fend for themselves. Let me illustrate what I mean. How would any one of you reading this blog like to become a statistic, stripped of your identity. Imagine, if you were part of those 'millions' of people who were forced to migrate to Pakistan, having lost everything! And then through this narrative, also losing your identity. Just a statistic. Your story never making front page. None of the politicians thinking about what catastrophe they were bringing upon you. What good is an imaginary line or a forced border to you?
Now imagine this. When politicians have their election rallies, do they consider your comfort? When they want to go on long marches, how long is theirs and how long is yours? Do they consider that if you get stuck in traffic and have to use the toilet what will you do? Do they consider the weather or mealtimes when they plan these? And why do they expect you to make your way to these huge rallies in the most uncomfortable circumstances. If they want your vote, should they not be coming to you, at your convenience? That, by the way, also stands true for dharnas. No politician since the very inception of Pakistan has demonstrated a respect for human dignity! Your voice does not count. You are only the bechara awam (poor citizen).
This is also the treatment meted out by religious leaders. They provide their followers with only that much that they remain forever in their power. Followers are always fed only the skin of religion, the pulp (faith) has always been hidden away, now even the masters cannot find where it has been hidden. But they don't need the pulp any more, they have these instruments that they can use and abuse at their will. Whenever an incident of the severity of Mashal Khan's case happens it is the instruments that are apprehended. Never the masters!
This is why no real effort has ever been made by any government to modernize school curriculum. It establishes and reestablishes status quo, a paradigm in which the same structures are underscored identifying our masters. Contrary to popular belief, I think a lot of thought has gone into developing our school curriculum. We have systematically stripped the last two generations of any faculty of thought and rationality to distinguish between truth and falsehood. It is no wonder that we are where we are. That is not the sad part. The sad part is that we are not going anywhere!
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