The perfect storm

“The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”

Harper Lee

In Sialkot, as the fuming mob advanced on the hapless Sri Lankan manager of the company, one man stood tall. Malik Adnan tried to protect the manager Mr Priyantha Kumara and cool down sentiments while confronting the blazing eyes and full-throated slogans of the milling crowd. Sadly, it was in vain, but his courage was exemplary as he put his life at risk to save his colleague.

Not content with beating to death Mr Kumara, the mob set fire to his battered body while howling religious slogans. Lest we forget, there have been instances of the same mindset amongst the custodians of the law like Lahore High Court judge Shaukat Siddiqui and his colleagues who not only garlanded, but also kissed the smiling Mumtaz Qadri while he was on trial for gunning down Punjab Governor Salman Taseer. The elated young men, who led the mob in lynching the manager, were applauded by the crowd and had television mikes thrust in front of them. Now hundreds of them sit in jail awaiting trials amid promises by Prime Minister Imran Khan that they will face exemplary punishment.

“At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst.” Aristotle.

Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino would have been hard pressed to come up with a better script. Zahir Jaffer, caught red handed while soaked in the blood of Noor Muqaddam, who he had beheaded after assaulting for days, was suddenly deemed to be ‘suffering from a severe mental ailment’ by his lawyer. It appears to be of little relevance that Zahir called up his father to dispose of ‘the body’ and hid the cell phones which were key pieces of evidence and tried his level best to escape after the horrendous deed. The fact that it took the learned counsel four months after the horrendous murder of Noor to come up with this defence shows the lie of the land.

“If you tremble with indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine.” Ernesto Che Guevara.

On the economic front, domestic budgets have gone awry as inflation has edged up to 11.5pc from 9.2pc, the highest increase in the past 20 months, fuelled by skyrocketing petrol prices. When there is food to be cooked, there is no gas. The gas shortfall is going from bad to worse. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy has reported that the power sector circular debt is rising at the rate of about Rs35 billion per month. The rupee has been devalued and necessities have become dear while human life has become cheap. At Karachi’s Lucky One Mall, the unemployed 29-year-old Mathematics graduate Zohair rode the escalator to the third floor, meandered near a glittering wall for ten minutes, and then jumped. His blood congealed on the white tiled floor as onlookers gathered to gawk at the spent young man.

Faheem Mughal, a journalist who lost his job suddenly, took his life after battling unemployment, galloping inflation and a Rs 60,000 debt whose interest kept accruing. He had taken the loan from a bank so he could pay the school fees of his children. The staff at the bank were threatening him because he could not repay the loan and those who do not possess power are not deemed worthy of respect by an inhumane society. Faheem had started driving a rickshaw to make ends meet, but he was unable to drive on that fateful day because of the petrol crisis. When he could not buy milk for his child nor repay the loan, he decided to bring his ordeal to an end.

“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” Benjamin Franklin

Many agreed with the Pakistan Embassy in Serbia which tweeted:

“With inflation breaking all previous records, how long do you expect @ImranKhanPTI that we (government) official will remain silent & keep working for you without been paid for past 3 months & our children been forced out of school due to non-payment of fees. Is this #NayaPakistan?”

A few hours later, the tweet was removed, with the Pakistan Embassy trotting out the excuse that their account had been hacked.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has for long held up Medina ki Riyasat as the ideal state for Pakistan. Perhaps he is unaware of Hazrat Umar Farooq’s saying: ‘If a dog dies hungry on the banks of the River Euphrates, Umar will be responsible for dereliction of duty.’

Crime in Karachi has escalated as the struggle of people to eke out a living has intensified. Muggings, robberies, dacoities and murders are on the rise. Many citizens have started obtaining licensed weapons to fight off robbers since there is a lack of confidence in the apathetic city administration. It is each man for himself with empathy for others eroding fast.

“Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.” Reinhold Niebuhr

The media is not blameless in the spiraling desensitization of people. A television reporter was on air at the mortuary where he kept pointing to the drawer containing the body of Zohair who killed himself at Lucky One Mall. The CCTV footage that showed him plunging to his death was shared on social media immediately after the incident. During the lynching of the Sri Lankan manager in Sialkot, many onlookers were busy making videos for entertainment. The CCTV footage of the desperate Noor trying to escape the clutches of Zahir only to be brought back by his minions and then dragged back by the hair by Zahir was replayed on social media. When earlier it was television reporting that was merciless in the face of tragedy, now social media has joined in the fray as well. “As you sow, so shall you reap.’’

Prime Minister Imran Khan has claimed that justice will be done in the Zahir Jaffer case as well as in the Sialkot lynching incident. In Islam, justice has been given great significance. A woman from Bani Mukhzum was caught while stealing. Her family sought the help of Usama ibn Zaid so that he could intercede for them with the Prophet Mohammad (P.BU.H). But the Prophet (P.B.U.H) did not accept any intercession, replying: “What destroyed the nations before you was that if a noble amongst them stole, they would forgive him, and if a poor person amongst them stole, they would inflict Allah’s legal punishment on him.”

Electricity shortages. No gas. Spiralling prices. Food essentials out of reach for common man. Escalation in crime. Terrorism. Vigilantism. Injustice.

“Fair is foul and foul is fair.’’ Shakespeare

The cauldron, which has been simmering with extremism, intolerance, inflation, and injustice, has been brought to a boil. It is the perfect storm.

The writer is Oped Editor, Bol News