Voices or Noises?

It was a season of noises, as all those who were part of the system in vogue, as well as those sitting on its fence, abruptly spoke up. It was not clear whom they were addressing, what their target of resonance was, or, lastly, on whose behalf they ventured to unveil their piece of mind. It was utter confusion. The point is that none of the verbatim statements could translate into a cohesive voice for any collective good. They fell silent before the momentum lapsed.

Maulana Fazalur Rehman, a personified beneficiary of the religio-political cohort, mustered the ‘courage’ to challenge the military establishment by calling upon the movers-and-shakers to “remove uniform and contest elections”. He was apparently nursing his wounds as he now feels that he has been out of the core for long. Thus, he thought of testing the nerves by challenging the writ of the State. Surprisingly, there was no reaction. Many believe the diatribe was scripted for a purpose. It could not reverberate, and the Maulana went quiet.

Then came Iron Man. Mohsin Naqvi minced no words in saying that the governance system has collapsed. That was no news for 250 million subjugated souls. Yet, all went on to question: ‘Look who is talking.’ That sealed the fate of that synopsis. The man wearing three caps: Home Minister, PCB chairman and Envoy Extraordinary-cum-Plenipotentiary, could not graduate his argument. He sufficed by calling for more provinces as the prescription for systemic dysfunction. There were not many takers in the status quo-laden political arena. He had to eat his words by saying, the ‘government will complete its tenure’! The decay will continue.

The MQM’s Mustafa Kamal too was back with his jargon. He threatened the Sayn Sarkar; reiterated the demand for a separate province for the Urdu-speaking urban populace, and reminded the PPP of its corrupt practices. Days later, the MQM exposed its own fault lines as its splinter factions fought a pitched battle. The once game-changing political entity is now not even a footnote. The MQM strata has its own skeletons to take care of. Karachiites are well aware of this syndrome, which is turning into gangrene. They have lost their faith.

The PTI, as customary, was seen running from pillar to post to calibrate a single point: whereabouts of incarcerated Imran Khan. That, however, remains a top secret in defiance of law and constitution. The prisoner of conscience is a victim of political vindictiveness. His party too is in it as it has resigned to its ‘comfort zone’. The countdown goes on at the cost of political instability. The ‘court-packed’ judiciary is in limbo. Who cares? Sohail Afridi sits pretty cool as chief minister, and the PTI legislators and Senators are enjoying their offices. So much so for ‘Tabdeeli’ (change)!

This crisscross of noises and voices reminds me of Vincent van Gogh, the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter, who articulately summed up anthropology by saying, “…the world goes its way, I go mine, and the distance grows every day.” Pakistan’s political laboratory is tarnished, and so are its institutions, which preferred colliding with men in power by refusing to abide by the dictates of the constitution. This paradox necessitates a new social contract, and one that is pluralistic in essence and people-driven.