The Quantum Moment

Interesting times to be alive to witness the Quantum Moment in Pakistan’s history, a consequence of 2022 regime change operation and birth of second independence movement. First independence movement freed us from clutches of British Colonial domination but only to leave us at the mercy of post colonial pretorian oligarchic nexus of military-bureaucracy-industrialist-political elite. 

This nexus is coming together of rent seeking cons who thrive on foreign aid whether for mercenary wars like GWOT, loans from international institutions or donors’ dollars for NGOs on non-core issues to Pakistan like climate change, feminism, transgender rights etc. 

 What powerhouse in Pakistan failed to factor in is technology through social media has raised awareness to the levels never seen before. The age of innocence is behind us when everyone thought army was the saviour. Young kids ask questions like ‘Was train incident in Baluchistan not an intelligence failure?’ ‘Have we made an example of the culprits responsible for these lapses or will they also be getting promotions in due course like felons of APS Peshawar incident? ‘How is it that they come hard on ‘politically incorrect’ common people and get beaten by the armed factions like BLA or TTP?’, ‘What kind of a security state are we, where there is no security of life, property or business?’. Questions  like these are aplenty and we know there are no answers except labelling the people who coin such questions as traitors, sympathisers of anti state elements or misguided by disenfranchised political views. However, these words are not bullets coming from enemy side but heartfelt pained thoughts for a country going completely dysfunctional. Pakistan is like a sick body where every organ is giving way - name one segment of society eg minorities, majorities, intelligentsia, media who is not a victim. The entire structure is failing rather falling apart. The question is, do we want to do a course correction or continue to live in the delusion that we are winning- like the tickers of state controlled media on ‘successful completion of operation against train hijack’. 

This state of denial is energising dormant disgruntled factions in every part of the country from GB to Kashmir and KPK to Baluchistan. They are getting strength from breakdown of trust between the state and the people. 

There is only one hope that this system is untenable and is going to crash under its own weight. How this crash will fare out remains to be seen ie smashing against hard rocks or soft sands. 

The military mind is designed to defeat the enemy. This holds good when fighting a trained professional army. But fighting against own people is totally different ball game. Problem is compounded when military minds handle political problems with the same mindset which they apply to the opposing armies ie to defeat the adversary by hook or by crook or use cronies like Mohsin Naqvi who are propelled to the power corridors after one reading of Machiavelli’s ‘The Prince’.  Well, it’s neither 16th century Italy nor was there tech savvy AI- social media driven inquisitive Gen X,Y,Z or A. 

Second great hope is incompetence and corruption of ruling elite. Their inability to use the technology to their advantage - imagine if they were as imaginative as CCP in controlling the narrative. 

Let’s talk about solution after long iteration of problems which everyone is already aware of. 

Firstly, accept there is something seriously wrong. Apologise and back off. 

The only way to prevent crash landing of the system on hard rocks is to find a unifying political force from within the system. Make peace with Imran Khan whether you like him or not. Whether you agree with him or not. He had so many flaws, he could have done a great deal whilst in power but he did not. He might commit mistakes in future as well. However, by not budging to power like the rest of political leaders in the past, he has defied the power playbook of Pakistan. He is the only one who has people’s trust. It is he who has finally helped restore people’s trust in democracy in this country and ballot revolt of 8 February is the testimony to it. 

Prolongation of current military-political elite capture of Pakistan will create even greater gulf between people and the army. If we miss this quantum moment in the small life of this nation, we might end up crashing on the hard rocks. 

May the sanity prevail. May Allah protect Pakistan. Ameen