MicroPakistan

By Shaukat Qadir (Daily Times)

While there are still dark clouds on the horizon that show no signs of dispersing, there are rays of light shining through. I have not yet lost hope; but then, friends talk of me as an inveterate optimist

This being the running topic, let me also jump on the bandwagon. So what’s the score?

The population has tripled which means the number of people living below the poverty level has increased. Religious tolerance has decreased by leaps and bounds while social inequalities have grown to enormous proportions. While the wealthy have increased in number, the gap between the rich and the poor has increased. The vast majority of our population still has no access to potable water, health care or schooling, and at least one province has become so alienated that it commemorated the 60th birthday as a ‘black day’. But there’s more.

We are terrorised by suicide bombers who are convinced that the killing of innocent people is sanctified by religion. Democracy is in tatters and there seems no hope of a speedy return to it. We are still ruled by a military dictator who intends to prolong his rule by any possible means, including by making ‘deals’ with politicians.

Our leaders continue to remind us that we are the only Muslim-majority state that possesses nuclear weapons (I am not certain that it enhances our security in any way). We don’t get along too well with any of our neighbours except China, and are more or less isolated but for the dubious alliance with the United States in the ‘war on terror’. Finally, never before have the armed forces been held in less respect than today and that is a mild way of expressing the truth.

Is there a ray of hope in this dismal environment? I think so.

To begin with, never before in our history have the media been so independent, nor have they ever taken upon themselves to raise and discuss the enormous number of social, judicial, political, economic, and even religious issues that we are faced with. If these issues have multiplied in the sixty years of our existence, awareness of this fact is also increasing.

This might be the most significant contribution: forcing those in power to address these issues, as has already happened in many cases. Occasionally, when those in power have tried to control or suppress the media, the media have fought back and forced the government to backtrack (the amendment to PEMRA Ordinance is a case in point).

Then there is the outcome of our recent judicial crisis. From the latter half of President Ayub Khan’s rule, the judiciary has been systematically weakened by the political leadership and almost reached its nadir during the current regime — until the time Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry decided to pick up the gauntlet thrown by the President.

Initially a judicial issue, it gained unprecedented political momentum to become an issue of the masses. So unexpectedly popular was the support for the hitherto unknown and, in some circles highly criticised, CJ, that the government was forced to withdraw some segments of its reference and announce that the decision of the Supreme Court would be accepted in letter and spirit. All this, after the president had publicly stated with regard to the reference that ‘I will weep if lies triumph over truth’!

While there is little doubt that in weakening the judiciary, its quality also eroded and we no longer have such powerful intellects to serve on the bench as those that did until the 1960s. But the judiciary has re-asserted itself, to emerge as one that has won its independence and is now a force to be reckoned with. It is more than likely that, in the future, it will not succumb as easily to the pressure of the executive as it has done in the past. Combined with a free and independent media, this could be a lethal combination for dictatorial politicians, whether in or out of uniform.

Lastly, I recently watched a Pakistani movie after at least three decades, Khuda Key Liye, and have never seen a Pakistani movie that I enjoyed as much. Its reviews claimed that it has infused new life into the Pakistani film industry and I can understand why. It is a source of pride for me that there is a citizen of our country with the courage and skill to produce what Shoaib Mansoor has done. He is a true patriot, with a lively sense of humour, who has addressed a plethora of social issues that our society is beset with today and linked them in a cohesive and realistic story.

In addressing the social issues facing expatriate Pakistanis, he has addressed both faces of Islam: the distorted militant face as well as the moderate and peaceful one. He has not left out the Americans either: the story focuses on an individual in the wake of 9/11 and shows the treatment meted out to innocent Pakistanis in particular and Muslims in general.

Given our technological backwardness, I thought it could not have been made any better. And though it ends in tragedy, it would have been unrealistic for it not to. I gather that the author/producer, Shoaib Mansoor has received death threats, and can understand why. But if more such movies could be produced in Pakistan addressing our ills so rationally and humorously, with such consummate skill, it would be another medium to reach out to the people and promote awareness.

To conclude, while there are still dark clouds on the horizon that show no signs of dispersing, there are rays of light shining through. I have not yet lost hope; but then, friends talk of me as an inveterate optimist.

The author is a retired brigadier. He is also former vice president and founder of the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI)