Calculating the cost of agitation

The provocative – controversial – statements by former prime minister Imran Khan and his tedious acolytes have led to many in Pakistan getting alarmed. Such talk of bloodshed is also perhaps leading stakeholders of the country to tread carefully, avoiding to respond to the reckless utterances of the former premier and his comrades.

In a tweet on Monday, on the fourth day of the ‘Haqeeqi Azadi March’, the Kaptaan wrote: “The sea of people along our March on the GT Road. For 6 months I have been witnessing a revolution taking over the country. Only question is will it be a soft one through the ballot box or a destructive one through bloodshed?” The ‘revolutionary leader’ also asserted that he would be the first to sacrifice his life for the cause of radical change.

And it is not only Khan who is resorting to confrontational rhetoric; his political followers and ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have also been fomenting tensions by passing inflammatory remarks. First it was ex federal minister Ali Amin Gandapur who talked about securing weapons, apparently to protect PTI workers from a possible crackdown of the federal government against the marchers and later Kamran Bangash, a provincial minister asserted that the protesters had a right to defend themselves against the possible sledgehammer tactics that could be employed by Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.

It is also true that it is not only the PTI that can be blamed for political tensions; the federal interior minister also passed some highly objectionable comments, hinting at using force against the protesters. There is a famous saying: ‘Violence breeds violence’. And so it is very unfortunate that such a threat of violence has been issued by someone who himself had been subjected to brutal torture in the past. It is usually expected that someone who has been subjected to such inhuman treatment would abhor the very idea of coercion and intimidation but in the case of Rana Sanaullah, who has gone through witch-hunts and alleged custodial torture himself, this does not seem to be true.

Beyond these provocative statements and threats are ordinary Pakistanis who are wondering what may be the possible consequences of the current political tensions in the country. They know that such a situation has always plunged the country into a terrible crisis, strengthening non-democratic forces, tearing down the social fabric of society, sowing the seeds of communal hatred and dealing a severe blow to the economy.

The political agitation and situation of the 1950s is still fresh in their minds when the first martial law was imposed in Lahore. The agitation destabilized the incumbent government, fragmented society along communal lines and paved the way for the dictatorial regime of Ayub Khan whose dark era unleashed a reign of terror against political workers. The agitation of the Pakistan National Alliance during the decade of the 1970s against Z A Bhutto did not only strengthen obscurantist forces and retrogressive elements within society but also led to the rise of a dictator whose tyrannical rule set back the country to medieval times intellectually.

The brief civilian supremacy that the country gained during the few years of the decade has become a distant reality now. The agitation not only dealt a severe blow to the economy but also sowed the seeds of sectarianism while also promoting an unfortunate culture of religious bigotry that has been tearing down the social fabric of the country since then.

The military dictator of the time patronized and pampered communal and ethnic tensions and divisions, encouraging various groups to launch movements that were meant to weaken political forces. The political parties of that time preferred to have a non-democratic dispensation, choosing to rule the country rather than engage the government of that time and come up with a political solution.

The statements given out by Imran Khan these days indicate that he is least bothered about the future of democracy in Pakistan. Just a few days back we saw him say that if any undemocratic move is attempted as a result of his march then it would be the rulers and not he who should bear responsibility for that unfortunate phenomenon.

Despite the fact that all major political parties of the country, including the PTI, now want certain institutions of the state to be within their constitutional limits and domains, the chief of the PTI is not ready to engage other political entities in dialogues that could explore ways to ensure democracy and democratic values within the political realm. Unfortunately, it seems Khan is hell bent on trying to drag into politics today those who wish to disassociate themselves from this job which is really best suited to the leaders of political organizations.

Khan is setting a dangerous precedent by trying to dislodge a government through these long marches and protests, appealing to the power stakeholders to help him achieve his goal. Critics believe that he would be naive to imagine that other political parties will not resort to the same practice when he is voted into power in the future. So, the political cost of his protest could be perennial political uncertainty and instability that will continue bleeding the country’s economy and the democratic system for years or maybe even decades. Any turmoil or bloodshed would be even worse for the country as this could plunge the country into the dark times of dictatorship and tyrannical rule that this country has seen in the past.

Apart from causing political and economic damages to Pakistan, this culture of protest and agitation is also giving rise to some of the most alarming social tendencies. For instance, we have seen video clips of people hurling filthy abuses while professing dedication to this one party. Such clips and social media usage is a good sign of how the country seems to be turning into a hub of polarization and intolerance where political criticism cannot be expressed without resorting to vulgarity and abuse.

Such abusive language was not completely alien to Pakistan but it seems that with the arrival of the PTI on the political horizon of the country it just added a further lethality to the discourse. Extremely negative trends on social media were also run against Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Bushra Bibi, and women journalists like Asma Shirazi, Sana Bucha, Gharida Farooqi and others. It is time political parties started calculating the social, political and economic costs of these agitations and protests. If politicians fail to do so, it will only create disillusionment among the people, pushing society to complete depoliticization which will be very catastrophic for the country.

Email: egalitarianism444@gmail.com

The writer is a freelance journalist.