Raoof Hasan

A third option?

The Candid Corner

Thoughts which remain thirsty of satisfaction
Scorched tears which don’t descend in the eyes
A remorseless pain which does not make a melody
Refusing to leave the darkened crevices of the heart

Adapted from Faiz Ahmad Faiz

Days of despondency have been upon us for a considerable period of time. But there is also a feeling of some light filtering through the crevices to help us see the shape of things emerging from the debris of crime and corruption.

It is much like it has always been with a few trying to continue asserting their self-acquired right to rule this country to the exclusion of the people who are its legitimate arbiters. Every possible trick is employed to ensure that they are not able to assert their right to bring in a leadership they would trust with their future.

But, simultaneously, some things have changed irreversibly in the last few years, the most important being the level of awareness which has been generated owing primarily to social media virtually reaching every home. This has also created an unbreakable bond of trust between the people on the one hand and Imran Khan on the other who used the power and reach of this vehicle to spread his message of hope to all corners of the country, particularly among the young. They have converged around him in an unprecedented display of passionate support for his cause of securing genuine freedom for Pakistan which has been an inherent cornerstone of its foundational ethos. Today, Khan sits atop a popularity crescendo absolutely unmatched in the political history of Pakistan.

In these times of oppression, gagging of mainstream media, targeting of journalists forcing some of them to leave the country, and abduction and torturing of PTI senior office holders, it is the social media which has kept the flow of information streaming, more specifically the message of Khan which resonates in every heart across all divides and divisions. On top of that, and knowing full well that they cannot match him in the political domain and a humiliating rout awaits them whenever elections are held in the country, the government has clamped ridiculous charges on Imran Khan with the sinister intent of eliminating him from the arena by using its fascistic, undemocratic and unconstitutional methods. But, by all indications, this has boomeranged upon them with its fallout so severe that even their avid international sponsors cannot come to their rescue while the stories of their criminal excesses are being reported by all television channels and print publications internationally causing immense embarrassment to the criminal rulers and their handlers who keep hovering in the dark.

The country has been driven up a blind alley with seemingly no way out. Economy is in a nose dive, inflation is hitting the skies, rupee has sunk to its lowest value ever and the credibility of the criminal cabal is mired in dust. But the stress is not directed towards improving the dismal state that the country is caught up in. Instead, it is solely focussed on getting Khan out of the way so that there remains no threat to the hegemony of the ruling cabal. But this entire plan is not only deeply flawed and not worthy of working; it is damaging them further, thus adding to Khan’s stature and popularity so much so that, today, he is the one who will decide which way the political currents will flow. He is more ascendant than anyone could have imagined when his government was uprooted through a foreign-inspired and locally-collaborated conspiracy that was aimed at denying Pakistan its inalienable right as an independent country to take decisions that would suit its interests and those of its people.

That sovereignty, that freedom, that self-esteem having been bartered away in exchange for a few days of power, the daunting challenge is to get Pakistan out of this quagmire which is deepening by the day. By no stretch of imagination, this is going to be an easy task. But the real issue is when to begin and where to begin? On the face of it, the incumbents and their patrons are in no mood to head for the elections. Instead, they are focussing on eliminating Khan before even thinking about the prospect.

But Khan cannot be pushed out of the way no matter how vicious may be the tactics they use He lives in the hearts of the people. The cases they have registered against him will not stand in the courts of law which also prove the mala fide of the crime syndicate, thus adding to Khan’s popularity and power base. So, it is the incumbents who will finish at the losing end, thus expediting the process of their political demise.

Since the toppling of the legitimate government of Khan through a foreign-engineered conspiracy and handing over charge to the cabal of criminals, people have been further enlightened about the core values that differentiate the dedication and sincerity of Khan from the corruption and criminality of the Sharifs, Zardaris and their sordid clan of accomplices. So, people’s faith in Khan has soared further, his respect multiplied and his infallible commitment to Pakistan and its right to freedom acknowledged. This has transformed him into a leader with no parallel in the political history of Pakistan after Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Because of the treacherous conspiracy to remove Khan’s government and a series of blunders perpetrated by the incumbent crime syndicate, the latter face political extinction no matter what they do from here onward. If they defy the prospect of elections and perpetuate their effort to eliminate Khan from the political race by influencing the state institutions through the use of power vested in their offices, they face defiance of the people which could spill over into widespread violence. And if, by any chance, they take the risk of holding elections, they face certain rout at the hustings. The next few weeks are going to be critical which way the incumbents would embrace their political demise.

Is there a third option? One would say no and one would say yes: no if the state institutions walk the straight line and allow the constitution dictate the future course, and yes if a deviation is orchestrated therein which would bring chaos and violence to derail whatever little hope there may still be for retrieval. In spite of the felonies of the past, one hopes that no one would nurture such dastardly adventurism.

The writer is a political and security strategist and the founder of the Regional Peace Institute