The inexorable march

Billed as a gathering of a few hundred people by its detractors, the long march is turning out to be one inexorable push for bringing in the change that has been long overdue. Every city that it has passed through along the Grand Trunk Road, fictionally billed as the Sharif territory, has poured out in hundreds of thousands to greet the man, who had the imagination to conceive it and the will and grit to keep pursuing it relentlessly to its final destination.

This march has no precedence in the history of Pakistan either in terms of the number of people who are part of it, or the passion of participants which is constantly on display, or the promise it holds for changing the fate of the country and its people. This long march surges along in spite of threats and persecution by the incumbent political elite: infliction of custodial torture on its members, a vagrant judiciary unable to deliver justice, a corrupt and criminally complicit bureaucracy, a compromised establishment, and dysfunctional institutions of the state infested with crooks and criminals. This is a march against the mafias and cartels which have held a stranglehold over the country since its creation and are unwilling to forfeit it. This is a march to break the tradition of taking decisions impacting the people of the country behind closed doors. This is a march of patriotism which springs from the pain inflicted upon the people through decades of bartering their interests by the corrupt political elite in exchange for palatial properties and pelf stashed away in foreign lands where they run off to whenever a danger lurks for holding them accountable for their crimes. This is a march led by one man who is opposed by every crook, convict, criminal and absconder in the political arena of the country. And you know what? Khan is winning hands down!

There is an incredible phenomenon unfurling on the roads of the country. It is a spectacle worth witnessing. One is in awe. One is surprised at the resilience showcased and perseverance which is demonstrable for everyone to see. It is beyond human faculties to inspire a whole nation to undertake a challenge of such mammoth proportions which is riddled with threats of arrest, torture, incarceration and reprisals. But there they come in the hundreds of thousands, ever more charged, ever mo resolute. They are carrying the national flag high, free of the shackles of fear and subservience. They are writing a new chapter laced with courage and fortitude. They are carrying forth knowing that victory shall be their reward. Nothing deters them. Nothing shakes their resolve. Nothing instils fear in them. They are consumed with the nectar of freedom. They are incensed with the scent of justice. They are enamoured by the promise of equity and equality. They are stepping into a new Pakistan.

But there are lurking dangers. With the vultures out there with their talons stretched out, ready to pounce upon what they consider to be their prey, will they allow the inherent promise of the march to be realised which would be tantamount to espousing their own political demise? For such are the stakes and such the pitfalls. The victory of the people of Pakistan would mean the elimination of the criminal mafias from the mainstream of national politics which they may never be able to re-enter. After having scavenged the country mercilessly for decades and having raised their illicit empires throughout the world, will they resign to letting this golden hen out of their grasp?

This does not appear to be a possibility given the way they have manoeuvred back into power with the active support of forces which really matter – inside and outside the country. But the problem is that they are far too tarnished by their crimes. They are wanted by courts of law. They have escaped indictments. They have made self-serving amendments in the NAB laws to escape the clutches of accountability. But they also know that it cannot sustain before law and it will be reversed if genuine people are elected to rule this country. This march is the making of such a possibility which the incumbent cabal of criminals will try their best to thwart. This is what the battle is all about – between a bunch of criminals who have gained power by unconstitutional means, and the burgeoning dream of people who want it all to change so that the spree of crime and corruption could be brought to an end and people deserving of the responsibility of managing the state could take charge.

Under the existing circumstances, the criminal incumbents are not likely to give a peaceful path to the march leading to holding of early elections in the country. They will try every crooked trick to frustrate the prospect. This will be possible only if the powers that are patronising them continue doing so. That would be counter to what this country needs at this hour. Hundreds of thousands of people are out on the roads to secure this. Will they be denied this right? Will the bloated egos of some trump the destiny of a whole nation? Will the lust for power of a criminal cabal bust the dreams of millions? Will the powers which hold the sway sit back and watch the destruction of the country?

The march is not going to melt into thin air. It is a living reality and shall continue till the objective of holding elections is not achieved. There are two paths leading into the future: a peaceful path that would get a legitimate government through exercising constitutional means, and a path of violence which may wreak destruction, but would ultimately facilitate the original objective of early elections. So, which path would be preferred: the path of peace or the path of violence? This is the critical question which is before the country at this moment. This has not only to be answered, but also facilitated for implementation. It is the path of peace which should be the obvious choice. Those who have the power to sway things one way or another have a huge responsibility resting on their shoulders to steer the country clear of trouble.

Postscript: Having failed to face Imran Khan in the political domain, the criminal cabal and their patrons and associates have resorted to that ultimate monstrous and demonic act: a well-orchestrated attempt to assassinate him. Thankfully, he has escaped and is on the way to recovery. On the basis of credible prior intelligence information, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Rana Sana Ullah are among those being cited as the potential culprits. The party has demanded their immediate removal from offices and trial for having planned and executed the assassination attempt.

Pakistan, it appears, is taking the violent route to change.

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