An imperilled state

The Candid Corner

The despicable manner in which the government has tried to use the religion card to malign Imran Khan reflects the utter despondency that has crept into their ranks consequent upon an unassailable ascendance that he has attained in the political domain. This must also be viewed in the context of every political adversary having lost out on whatever relevance they may have had in the past owing to their complicity in the foreign-dictated conspiracy to topple the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

But this does not spring a surprise. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has been the original inventor of using the religion card for political purposes. They had learnt this trick from their mentor, General Zia ul Haq, who is singularly responsible for nurturing the Sharif dynasty and indoctrinating them in the intricacies of the use of religion for their political advantage. Thereafter, all their stints in the annals of power have been laced with exploitation of religion as a powerful political instrument, thus causing harm to the people, enacting dubious laws, bringing infamy to the state and compromising its institutions. With the passage of time, the tentacles of their vast criminal empire rooted in the exploitation of religion as a weapon kept digging in deeper with their crimes assuming horrid forms and proportions.

Other than the military interludes which were dysfunctional in their own right, the last forty years have witnessed the crown being passed between two political parties – PML-N and Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP). Every time they secured power, they honed their corrupt skills further. In the process, the state exchequer was emptied while their personal empires kept multiplying. When no other trick would work to perpetuate their hold on the reins of power, religion would unmistakably come in handy to be tossed around as a component of their political strategy irrespective of the blood it would spill and destruction it would wreak. Having lost all hope of political retrieval, the PML-N leadership have, yet again, opted for using the religion card against their nemesis, Imran Khan. Worse still, they have done so vide the national broadcaster, Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV), as their principal vehicle of communicating the vile and wicked message to the people.

Their despondency is understandable also. When the criminal conspiracy to topple Khan’s government was implemented, it was believed that miracles would begin taking shape and the advent of a prosperous new era would be signalled. Instead, within less than five months, the country took a nosedive on all fronts leaving it gasping for breath. GDP growth rate went down from 6 percent to a miserly 3.6 percent; exchange rate climbed from Rs.182 per dollar to Rs.236 per dollar; inflation soared from 12.7 percent to 27.3 percent; reserves plummeted from $16 billion to $8.8 billion; petrol price went up from Rs.150 per litre to Rs.236 per litre; electricity rates increased from Rs.16 per unit to Rs.36 per unit and credit rating outlook moved from ‘stable’ to ‘negative’.

During the same period, remittances dropped from $31.3 billion to $30 billion, exports from $31.8 billion to $30 billion and current account deficit increased from $17.3 billion to $18 billion. Agriculture sector shrunk from 4.4 percent growth rate to -0.7 percent, industry from 9.8 percent to 1.9 percent and services sector from 5.7 percent to 3.5 percent.

Meanwhile, prices of daily-use commodities increased phenomenally during these five months: cost of wheat flour increased from Rs.55 per kilogram to Rs.90 per kilogram, ghee from Rs.473 to Rs.542 per kilogram, lentils from Rs.270 to Rs.378 and Rs.216 to Rs.322, onions from Rs.48 to Rs.101 and tomatoes from Rs.80 to Rs.174. The economy is virtually on the verge of collapse with default staring in the face. The regime-change conspiracy has backfired so miserably that they are embarrassingly lost for words to respond to some logical queries.

The big question is where do we move from here? The criminal concoction has virtually busted with no hope in hell of any change taking shape in the foreseeable future. As a matter of fact, it is downhill and the slide to economic meltdown is only going to pick up speed. Holding elections appears to be the most viable option. But with no hope of securing a victory, the incumbents don’t even want to think of it at this juncture. Instead, they want to prolong their tenure in power as long as they would be able to do. But that appears to be full of risks as the economic indicators continue beeping red.

The only way the criminal cabal would agree to hold elections is if they were able to have Khan debarred from taking part through a technical knockout. Many cases with this sinister intention have already been registered against him including Toshakhana, contempt of court, terrorism, and now the threatened use of the religion card. If they are able to eliminate Khan from the arena, we may see elections by early next year. But, if they don’t succeed in their nefarious designs and, consequently, refuse to announce the holding of elections, they may have to face the wrath of the people. Its timing would not be in the hands of the government. It is Khan who will decide when to call people to Islamabad to force the government into agreeing to hold elections through a peaceful demonstration of their will and determination.

The only matter of concern is which way this sea of people would be headed when they hit the roads. With the state of living having been rendered unbearably difficult, it is feared that an element of violence may creep into the protests. But, then, the fate of the country and its people cannot be left hostage in the hands of a bunch of criminals who have been malevolently manoeuvred into the annals of power. The state of the country is deteriorating at a rapid pace and, soon, people’s anger may surge out of control. It would be extremely unwise to push things to a point where they can’t even breathe. The bell will have to be tolled before that. But how much earlier is a decision that needs careful attention. Mechanisms should also be put in place to eliminate, as much as possible, the prospect of violence merging with protest.

Pakistan sits on the verge of a monumental change which cannot be deterred for long. It is hoped that the criminal incumbents would read the verdict on their fate, hold elections and allow a representative government assume the mantle of power which is charged with trust and confidence of the people. That is the only way to transport Pakistan out of an imperilled state it is embroiled in at this juncture.

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