A change so subtle, yet so powerful

What appeared to be a mere figment of imagination a few weeks ago is gradually assuming a concrete shape. The bursts of fresh air which originally oozed out of the realm of the judiciary are now spreading across the national landscape, bringing along hope that despondency may, after all, be a fleeting phase and that it is gradually giving way to the promise of light.

What I witnessed over two days of the live telecast of the reserved seats case in the Supreme Court made me think that, even in days of oppression, the human mind can break free of the chains of captivity and espouse the prospect of freedom. I believe that we have moved beyond the parameters of mental enslavement and are wading in a pool energised with waves of energy that a transition to a brighter and fulsome future may just be a short distance away. That this change is emanating from the most critical pillar of the state entrusted with the noble task of dispensing justice makes the phenomenon absorbing in its possibilities and prospects.

Till quite recently, it all seemed dark as state institutions were locked up in the bloody tentacles of forces of brute power. There seemed no way out of this ever-tightening grip as one thought that we were destined to continue suffering from this phenomenon in the foreseeable future. The realization itself was depressing as one struggled desperately to discover crevices in pitch dark that would lead to some light. Day in and day out, one oscillated between the extremes of hope and despondency getting a hold of your thinking prowess, but one would not locate a definitive course to tread to a different realm.

Unknown to many, there was a storm seething underneath, desperate to burst forth and there was anger getting a hold of our thinking faculties. It was not that this was without reason, but the fact that it happened so effortlessly speaks volumes of the strength of human mental prowess overpowering a spate of adversities and levelling the path forward.

Its first indication came in the shape of that groundbreaking letter written by six judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) who penned down their experience of being subjected to pressure and intimidatory tactics in the discharge of their professional duties. As an honourable judge said during Tuesday’s proceedings, “enough is enough”. The spark was a vital breakthrough to chisel a new path – a path of fearless pursuit of the objectives for which they had chosen the profession that was also the profession of the founder of the country, the Quaid.

There has been no stopping ever since and, one after the other, the adherents of the profession of law have been on the ascendance as they have been speaking with growing authority in the justness of their cause and the righteousness of their purpose. That one letter has contributed enormously to changing the direction of the entire profession as today those six judges have become the inspiration for others to follow suit.

This dramatic transition was so palpably evident in the Supreme Court proceedings on Monday and Tuesday as the proponents of the past are finding it increasingly difficult to carry their narrative forward. They are realizing to their utter angst that there are hardly any takers of their brand of professional dispensation which has been beholden to the power corridors for acceptance. That is no more the case as the brave new hearts are digging deeper into the paucity of the thinking prowess and lack of principles guiding their adversaries.

But this fallback is causing bitterness, and one fears a renewed surge of oppression unleashing its tentacles upon the nation to dampen its resolve. While this possibility cannot be completely ruled out, given the passion and power of the surge, it seems well-nigh impossible that the turn of the tide could be altered. A new course has been carved and the caravan has begun its journey. There is little prospect that this momentum will be diluted in the face of daunting challenges that may still be thrown its way.

But one is alarmed at the manoeuvring forces of regression are employing to stymie the progress of the caravan. Making full use of the brutal tactics which they command, they are stooping to ever deeper pits to penetrate the resolve and determination of the adherents of change by ensuring subservience to the constitution and the rule of law. Such values are anathema to those who are used to exploiting the barbaric state apparatus to advance their self-perpetuating agendas which come at the cost of usurping the rights of the people in the name of national interest.

This encompasses the use of draconian measures like the colonial era MPO 3 which was employed with abandon by the foreign masters to subdue local ‘miscreants’ and maintain public order. Notwithstanding these foreign masters having since been replaced with local thugs, the tactics remain unchanged as does the objective: to perpetuate the power of the gun over the wisdom of sanity and reason.

Consequently, the master-slave relationship has not only survived the exit of the alien rulers but has worsened in more ways than can be numbered as the greed of the nouveau-riche power-wielders grows ever more insatiable with time.

As the end nears, the battle is likely to get more intense. On the one hand are arrayed the forces of the status quo banking for their survival on the brutality of the measures that they have been used to employing and, on the other are forces which represent a change from the darkness of the past into a future exuding light and hope.

By casting their vote in favour of the forces of change, people had announced that they had come of age, and they realized full well what was good for them and their coming generations. But the losers, not willing to give in, decided to steal the election from the clutches of a massive defeat. They did this with the support of the traditional powers which work by the sound of the gun. The election was taken away in the thick of the night and everyone who spoke of the injustice caused was found missing, only to reappear to read out a message or address a press conference.

But this unceasing brutality has altered nothing. If anything, the commitment of the people to the tenets of change has intensified further as they await the time when they shall bask in the glory of their fate and drive their destinies on a path of their choosing.

Notwithstanding the adversities, that day, my friends, is not far! Freedom beckons as expectant hearts savour its flavour.

The writer is the information secretary of the PTI, and a

fellow at King’s College London. He tweets/posts @RaoofHasan