A word on happenings in AJK before I go to penultimate part of this series. Disquiet in AJK, would not create any meaningful impact as it’s ORGANIC. Same was the case in Punjab and KP in last three years. However, Punjab being more critical power center is pacified very quickly. Besides, Punjabis for centuries are more inclined to giving in to power for petty rewards than resisting. KP would resist, for honour and freedom is part of its DNA. Sindh and GB may create some ripples of resistance but mostly they are homeopathic. As long as these movements/ resistances whether local, political, ethnic, lingual or provincial remain ‘ORGANIC’ these are meaningless as people of Pakistan and their existence is meaningless to those in power. On the contrary, look at one INORGANIC entity as TTP, they have not been able to pacify TTP for over two decades now. It’s a marketing tool for our rent seeking desk or incompetence, it’s a reality more for it being INORGANIC as it receives physical, financial and moral SUPPORT from outside.
In subsequent and concluding part of this series, I’d use cut-paste strategy from last four parts because after Part 4 many people dubbed it as happy ending edging to servility. And that is our problem, we want to read what we want to read. Anything that doesn’t conform to our little bubble of perfection which is mostly inflated by hate, we start tagging other people with our favourite hate tags. Whether you like it or not, our leadership is doing well because if you recall in the same series, our national objective was defined as ‘power and money grab at all levels by all means’. What do you expect from such people? In ours, those competing for ‘Race to the Swift’ know one way to achieve it ie by compliance, submission, subservience, obsequiousness and heaps of wickedness. When you develop these traits and rise through the ranks in Pakistan, it’s easy to negotiate the most difficult bosses; may it be Trump. Because they rose to the power remaining ‘good boys’ in the eyes of their immediate bosses. In hybrid system two streams have joined hands. One is military which follows the above mentioned methodology to ‘rise in the ranks’ and for political stream, it’s easier to follow suit, they apply the same methodology of transactional loyalty and unconditional submission to the military men in power. Three years backI met few young MPAs from Punjab and they said sir what politics of people you talk about, we just need to align with Bhai Log to enter and remain in assemblies. It’s working well for both, Field Marshall being The Emperor and politicians being his pets. Whatever is happening to this country and its people should not come as a surprise. Because, owing to mindsets of colonial legacy and the precondition to remain in power in existing world order, anyone out of us making it to the highest pedestal would become reflection of FM or he/ she will perish.
Answer to question of why military leadership is indifferent to the growing disgruntlement of people lies in the theme of this part i.e. people’s dissent is ORGANIC and powerful remain in power with support system of INORGANIC means. And power coupled with loads of wealth is so intoxicating that it mars our best judgment.
Conclusion to follow.
Happy Sunday.
