A season of good tidings

The Friday Column

By Raoof Hasan

“Revolution cannot be forecast. It cannot be foretold. It comes of itself. Revolution is brewing and it is bound to flare up.” – Vladimir Lenin

Pakistan seems to be engulfed in a frenzy of vibrant and angry protests sparked by the moving of a controversial vote of no-confidence against the government of Imran Khan. The intensity of these protests has kept growing in the recent past which is likely to increase further with time. Do we have the necessary ingredients that can ignite the spark to turn this demonstration of people power into forging tangible change?

There are many who believe that Pakistan has been on the brink of a revolution a number of times but, somehow, the same was always averted, subverted or sabotaged through a self-serving coalition of the status-quo. That was in the days gone by. The present times come clad in different apparels with more pressing realities having taken roots. Foremost among them is the level of awareness that has penetrated every discipline of life. One could not imagine that a few years ago.

The person who has played a pivotal role in forging this transformation is Imran Khan. In the last few years, he has made people deeply aware of a sense of national shame, deprivation and loss on multiple fronts which has been facilitated by leaderships sold out for paltry gains. With the passage of time, this feeling has intensified which is finding resonance in the shape of millions who converge to public rallies that Khan stages, the most recent ones being at Islamabad, Peshawar, Karachi and Lahore. Then there are voluntary periodic gatherings of people at key points in most of the cities and towns of the country, vociferously and passionately reiterating their commitment to remaining steadfast for the cause of reclaiming national honour and dignity. A new narrative has taken shape and, with every passing day, the movement is gaining traction.

The threat hurled by a senior US official in a conversation with the Pakistan ambassador as outlined in the cipher sent to the Foreign Office is now certified by everyone even distantly connected with the events leading up to its playing out during the subsequent days. This has enlivened the people to the reality that Pakistan has been treated like a commodity by its successive leaderships and repeatedly sold out to this one bidder in exchange for securing personal gains by those occupying the saddle of power.

Because of the endemic corruption among these leaders, the country was always rendered vulnerable, condemned to submit before the diktat of the master irrespective of whether it would serve Pakistan’s interests or not. As a result of these shenanigans, the country was systematically denuded of its sovereignty and honour which were tossed around disdainfully by the one that held aloft the threat of retribution in case the timid and excessively corrupt leaders did not oblige.

Then there was also the case of dictators vying for winning legitimacy for the coups they perpetrated. Be it the war against the former Soviet Union or terror, it was the inherent weakness of leadership which made Pakistan and its people pay a heavy price in shape of loss of human lives and capital. While its leaders kept becoming more bloated, feeding on pelf, it was the country that paid the ultimate price as its freedom and sovereignty were bartered at the altar of furtherance of personal capital of its leaders. Such is the sordid history that has been repeatedly scripted for Pakistan.

In the wake of the cipher, the master country, once again, joined hands with the forces of the corrupt status-quo to get rid of Imran Khan who had been fighting for initiating a long-overdue change by asserting Pakistan’s right to its sovereignty. First, they collaborated to sabotage his bid for introducing accountability for the rich and the powerful who always felt they were beyond the ambit of the law. They did this by staffing institutions with their hirelings who ensured that the process never really took off. They also made certain that those who had committed mammoth financial crimes by ravaging the state resources were provided relief through the courts of law. This has been the trademark method to save the political careers of the corrupt so that they can be used to the detriment of the country.

In case of dictators, this would come about by the use of the ‘doctrine of necessity’ that legitimized their take-overs and, in case of those who were the outcome of the so-called elections, this heinous practice would be implemented through shielding their corruption by placing them beyond the applicability of the law, deceitfully packaged as the NRO. While their financial empires kept growing, the country became more enfeebled with time. It was bruised and battered relentlessly to be forever in need of financial support manipulated by the master country through international institutions that it controlled, duly accompanied by the incessant trumpeting of democracy and human rights.

This is where we stand today as we charter this new phase in the life of Pakistan where its people are showing unmistakable signs of having recognized the forces which have repeatedly stymied its growth, plunging it into accepting subservience to the machinations of this master country. Even state institutions are being subjected to harsh criticism, both from outside and within, with calls to trigger a change in their approach.

One message that is coming through without a shade of ambiguity is that people will no longer accept Pakistan’s sovereignty to be compromised – irrespective of the arguments from the local conspirators or the country that is threatening reprisals in case of non-compliance with its demands. There is this new wave of awareness which is resonating deeply through all sections of society with none willing to be left out.

This resurgence of human spirit, this yearning for restoration of national sovereignty, and this phenomenal desire that their honour be rehabilitated are unmistakable signs of a formidable movement taking shape. Never before has there been such impassioned convergence around demands which did not even figure in routine conversations earlier. The best part is that this movement is a spontaneous phenomenon. Impassioned people are stepping out of their own free will because the core objectives of this unprecedented human surge are in sync with their cherished dream of Pakistan reclaiming its freedom, dignity and pride.

This is people’s power on display like it never has been in the past. Within its folds, it carries the seeds of real change and the promise of better times. A season of good tidings may not be far behind.

The writer is a political and security strategist and the founder of the Regional Peace Institute in Islamabad. He tweets @RaoofHasan