In choppy waters

Pakistan is wobbling in choppy waters, literally as well as figuratively. A natural disaster has overlapped a political crisis. There is a growing sense of foreboding about what may happen during the next few days. Dark clouds are hovering on the horizon. Again, politically and meteorologically.

Because of how popular imagination is hooked on politics, not enough attention is paid by the media to the rain emergency that has deepened during the past few weeks. There have been reports in the main news bulletins but almost no mention is made of the misery of millions of citizens across vast terrains in talk shows and other regular features.

And just when the magnitude of the calamity was beginning to break into the consciousness of our opinion makers, the Shahbaz Gill episode has suddenly become the nation’s foremost preoccupation. For once, this would be a legitimate distraction, considering its possible political fallout. The dramatic developments that were played out on Friday are likely to become a catalyst in the ongoing power struggle.

In many ways, the initiative rests with Imran Khan to take decisive political action. He has certainly been building up the tempo with large public rallies and the show staged in Lahore on the eve of the Independence Day must have boosted the confidence of his supporters. It was a well-designed political extravaganza.

But what happened on Friday could not have been a part of any planned strategy. After Shahbaz Gill’s arrest for allegedly inciting mutiny among armed forces in a statement telecast live by ARY, Imran Khan himself and other PTI leaders were cautiously distancing themselves from the remarks made by the party’s most strident spokesperson. In the Senate, PTI leader Faisal Javed was categorical in repudiating the stance that had been adopted by Shahbaz Gill.

All this changed on Friday after video recordings of how Imran Khan’s chief of staff was brought to court became viral. There he was visibly in pain and crying out for his respiratory mask. A clip was shared by the PTI’s official Twitter account, describing the scene as “heartbreaking”.

Irrespective of a contradictory statement of the Islamabad police and partisan assertions that Shahbaz Gill had been certified as healthy in a medical report, the visuals and allegations made by PTI leaders seriously raised the issue of torture. It is something the federal government would have to deal with against the backdrop of rising tensions.

Imran Khan took the charge of torture to another level and said in a tweet: “All the pictures & videos show clearly Gill was tortured both mentally & physically incl sexual abuse – most too gruesome to relate”. He immediately went into action and drove to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) to see Shahbaz Gill, where the PTI leader was sent by the sessions court.

Not allowed to meet his chief of staff, he announced protest rallies in support of Shahbaz Gill across the country, with he himself leading one in Islamabad on Saturday evening. Hence the threat of public disorder has become real. That Punjab is now governed by the PTI, care of Parvez Elahi, may strengthen Imran Khan’s hand to some extent. Yet, there is considerable ambiguity about how the powers that be will deal with the unfolding scenario.

Already, proceedings against Imran Khan have been initiated with reference to the Election Commission of Pakistan’s verdict on foreign funding and the Toshakhana case. On Friday, the ECP issued notices of Imran Khan, Fawad Chaudhry and Asad Umar for making “intemperate and contemptuous remarks” against the electoral watchdog.

With a renewed focus on this fateful political conflict, the rain disaster and massive disruption in the lives of a large number of people will remain somewhat in the background. But there is one incident that intertwines the rain disaster with the current political upheaval. Something seems mysterious about this connection and how it is evolving.

I am referring to that tragic helicopter crash in which we lost six army personnel, including Lt-Gen Sarfraz Ali. This crash took place in Lasbela, a district of Balochistan on the first day of this month. Now, this was a flood relief operation and bad weather was said to be a reason for the accident.

Strangely, this helicopter crash prompted a negative campaign in the social media of such a nature that the military authorities had to take cognisance. In a press conference this week, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif blamed Imran Khan for “patronising” his Chief of Staff Shahbaz Gill and others for launching this campaign. In any case, an extensive investigation is in progress and some arrests have been made.

Meanwhile, the full extent of the devastation caused by the rains, in terms of lives lost and property destroyed, has not been adequately explored by the national media. And more floods have been predicted in the coming days. Not many human stories of suffering have been reported to underline the gravity of this disaster.

It is not surprising that the foreign media has demonstrated the right editorial judgment by giving more attention to Pakistan’s rain havoc than to its political crisis. On Wednesday, The Guardian had a detailed report with this headline: “Pakistan floods kill 580 and bring misery to millions”. The sub-heading said: “Government accused of inaction as downpours leave schools destroyed, homes ruined, crops failing, and cholera on the rise”. On July 24, The New York Times had a story: “Pakistan’s deadly flood season worsened by climate change and bad infrastructure”.

Yes, we do have our daily clips of the flood situation, mainly of ferocious currents cutting across roads and bridges and poor settlements. On Thursday, a car was swept away by the flood waters of Malir River in Karachi, with its seven passengers all drowned. But it was not a lead story and lacked personal details about the lives that were lost.

If it can provide any respite from these tragedies, settle down for your daily dose of politics.

The writer is a senior journalist. He can be reached at: ghazi_salahuddin@hotmail .com