By Aasma Wadud
In the recent past, the world witnessed the dimmest side of Pakistan’s politics when a
father of eight died pursuing a discounted flour bag. Tangled in poverty, Pak Rs 300 was worth staking his life, and he sacrificed it for the same. The event shook the people but did not impact the ruler, the people’s representatives.
Pakistan’s politics is simple and complex at the same time. The only Muslim Nuclear power, rich in resources and landscape, struggling to avoid bankruptcy is hard to believe but true.
Pakistan is living through strange times. From custodial torture, sexual harassment,
extreme censorship, and the mysterious murder of a leading journalist to the execution attempt of the most popular political leader, former-Prime Minister Imran Khan, we have seen it all during the last nine months. The handicapped judicial system, complex dynastic political structure, and establishment have revealed all its good, bad, and ugly leaving the people stunned with surprise and depressed in despair.
The country which was making its way as a desired tourist destination, a country that
was ready to welcome the world warmly with open arms even after living through the horror of terrorism, a country that was aiming for prosperity with an economic growth rate of 6%, found itself at the verge of bankruptcy within 9 months after the regime change. 64 percent of the Pakistani population is under 30 years old. It is nothing less than an asset, but sadly, the brain drain from the country is alarmingly increasing.
Ideally, Pakistan has it all, but still, time and again, we find ourselves on the verge of an
economic meltdown that shoots from political chaos. Not only that, Pakistan enjoys critical
geopolitical and economic locations. All it needs is a free and independent foreign policy to
actualize its true potential. A dependent foreign policy limits the country’s capacity to take advantage of its geopolitical positioning. Furthermore, the national reserves have decreased to a dangerous low. The situation is grim, but how did it happen? This crisis didn’t evolve overnight. It has lived through the monstrosities of all the shades of corruption during the last three decades.
Pakistan is a study case of how corruption eats up the foundation of any economy and
threatens its existence. Pakistan has a history of being ruled by leadership with a compromised,corrupt background. The faulty system serves their interest. The lack of the rule of Law helps them secure their desired privileges. Inequality of wealth is essential to limit resistance against them. They deplete the system to preserve their interest.
Leadership with baggage makes the establishment irrationally influential as they can manipulate the leadership’s weakness. The deep state gets deeper as it gets a wider space to maneuver. Such leadership unnaturally depends on the establishment's support. History shows that the establishment eventually aligned itself with its people. When that happens, their sand castle turns into rubble instantly as they lack people’s support and trust. The vicious cycle continues unless it’s obstructed by an unexpected change that resists the system with full vigor,force, and potential.
Dynastic politics was a salient feature of Pakistan’s democracy when PTI challenged it.
The dynastic leadership’s reality is a paradigm apart from their people. Every day, people are crushed in the grid of inflation with seemingly no way out. On the other hand, the leaders proudly flash their pictures smiling with naked feet and bearly clothed children. The unequal distribution of wealth is not a challenge but an asset that guarantees such a leader’s influence,power, and privilege.
Confronting all odds, Imran Khan gained power, but the flawed system hampered him
from venturing the needful to overcome the drawbacks of the system.To stop Imran Khan and his vision of a prosperous, progressive, democratic, sovereign, and corruption-free Pakistan with the supremacy of Law, his opponents formed an unholy alliance of fraudsters, followed by a foreign conspired regime change in Pakistan.
It changed almost everything for the worse. The economy soured, and the inflation
hiked. Pakistan gradually faded into global isolation as our friends and adversaries failed to
align themselves with the new regime with no clear political ideology and direction. Seeking the West’s attention, terrorism is now being sold as a commodity. The region’s peace is being compromised in a mad pursuit of war. Provoking war on the Northern border can have catastrophic consequences for the region.
At the same time, the cult of crooks wants to clean up their corruption. With NAB
reforms, the current government has normalized corruption. The purpose of formalizing
corruption is not to get over it but to indulge in more such endeavors.
Imran Khan threatened the dynastic democratic system and power hub nexus like never
before, jeopardizing its very existence. Failing to recognize the significance of people in
democracy, the conventional leadership and establishment considered him the only threat and decided to buy, break, crush or curb him. Overnight, his political struggles elevated to a battle against the system.
Imran khan, being the only national leader with voters and supporters in the length and
breadth of the country, found his strength in his people. Once a sports superstar was embraced by the people as one of their own. As his political opponents joined hands, irrespective of the political manifesto, Imran Khan’s quest transformed into a confrontation between the muggers and the mugged.
Time will reveal who will triumph in this untiring fray. For now every moment spent is a
step towards devastation, disaster, political polarization, economic meltdown, hiking inflation,shaming wealth inequality, usurping freedom of speech, severe human rights violations,compromised sovereignty, lack of dignity, security challenges, and global isolation. As the people are standing steadfast for their rights under the leadership of Imran Khan, Pakistan is living through the horrors of the time when crooks ruled heaven.
Aasma Wadud is a current affairs analyst from Islamabad,Pakistan.
