On perpetual crossroads

Every morning, there is a pile of material to sift from. One tries desperately to make out the true from the false, the probable from the improbable, and the desirable from the not so desirable. More often, it proves to be an exercise in futility as most of these things have lost their substance, value and relevance in an environment that is vitiated by the predominance of personal interests demolishing any prospect of the collective good.

We perpetually stand at the crossroads trying to determine which path to take to correct the blunders of the past. Every time we dared initiate such a journey in the past, it has brought us back to where we had started from, the only change being that, in the process, we are further impoverished in our capacity to break free of the vicious stranglehold of elite capture that we have been caught up in. With time, this hold has only grown tighter. There appears little prospect that we shall be able to break this logjam if we continue suffering from an infatuation with corruption, an absence of clarity in our pursuits, a vision focused on the future, an untarnished strategy and an effective mechanism for doing so.

Rather than treat everything on merit, there is an alarming propensity to politicise matters with the express intention of shrouding them in confusion. This is a tried and tested method with the ruling elite to denude the investigation of the merit and legitimacy that it deserves so that its findings would be disputed, leading to prolonged legal battles which usually end up in a blind alley, thus helping the alleged criminals escape the dragnet of justice. So, an unending sequence of crimes continues with no accountability feared and no punishment apportioned.

This is the cycle that Pakistan has followed year after year with the result that the ruling elite has virtually rendered themselves beyond the pale of law with the poor suffering the excesses of the judicial system as their generations continue waiting for provision of justice to them. While there are people with the opinion that the system is fine and it is only its applicability which is flawed, others believe that it is gravely riddled with caveats which are easy to exploit to find a way out for the criminals. They further believe that it needs major modifications primarily aimed at filling up the gaping holes which provide the escape routes for the perpetrators. While this has been a known reality through decades, little has been accomplished about ridding the system of these wicked impairments.

So, the rule of the mafias drags on and the differentiation between the privileged and the marginalized communities continues to be further perpetuated. Since those in power are the beneficiaries of these systemic deficiencies, there is stubborn resistance to frustrate every effort that may be conceived to bring about rectifications by way of making it more equitable, just and functional with everyone across divides and divisions becoming its equal beneficiaries. It is patently clear that, not only no such effort has been made in the past, but, by all visible indications and intentions, it appears well-nigh impossible that this would be undertaken in the future either. It follows from there that divisions and discriminations are likely to persist which may become even graver and uglier with the passage of time.

Are we, therefore, condemned to live in an increasingly fractious society where the lines dividing the extremes of good and bad would continue getting blurred, or is there still a way that could propel us to begin moving in the right direction? On the face of it, the chances of the latter don’t appear bright as the traditional ruling elite is unwilling to cede space to reform. They also believe that it is their inherent right to amend and alter the existing laws, or even conceive new ones that would shield the acts of their crimes and corruption. They are also convinced that, while the clamour for democracy in the country would continue to be raised, the same would not be applied to their political parties which they treat as private businesses and the right to manage them would continue to pass on from one generation to the next. In due course of time, the country, too, would be reduced to assuming that status to be managed as a family fiefdom as would appeal to their fancies.

The fact that most of the ruling families have been nurtured by the military has aggravated the situation further. After these families have assumed power, they try to maintain their allegiance with their sponsors and don’t feel that they are answerable to the people. Consequently, their welfare is not a factor that impacts their thinking. They believe that, so long as they can keep their mentors happy, they would be secure in their job. People, at best, can take a back seat. But, in actuality, they don’t figure anywhere in their thinking or their plans which have always remained self-serving and self-promoting. Their condition, therefore, has continued to deteriorate ever since the age of the sponsored families commenced in the country, be they of the Sharif, or Bhutto-Zardari, or the Maulana clans. The thinking has been the same.

Unfortunately, this aspect has also defined the civil-military relations in the country which have remained a nagging factor. Instead of emerging from the appropriate provisions in the statute book, these relations have been tailored on personal likes and dislikes. This has had a direct and negative bearing on the state of the country as we keep plunging back to the beginning, only to start all over again and make the very same mistakes which put us there in the first place.

As would be clear to one who has even an iota of understanding of the existing situation that we have literally taken a path to perdition. We are on course, but either we don’t realize it, or we don’t want to, the latter option being the more convincing. Otherwise, how is it that we have not been able to break the logjam in decades?

There are multiple factors which need to be considered in the process of chartering a new course for the country, the most important being the supremacy of law and its equal and equitable applicability on all irrespective of the status they may hold, or the power they may wield. They are all equal before law and must be made so.

Then, we must also know that corruption is a killer and cannot be ignored. This weakens the state and introduces itself as a factor in determining the fate of the country.

This makes for a bucket list. There is no time available to just keep talking about it. Let the institutions be freed of pressure to play their role. Let justice prevail and the criminals be held to account.

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