Infantile Gibberish

Day in and day out, all sane minds in Pakistan are pounced upon by the ruling elite’s indecent verbose through print, electronic and social media, which at best can be termed as Infantile Gibberish. The undue and unreal hostilities demonstrated especially through the TV Talk shows, press briefings and even from the floors of the parliament and high offices smack of decline from average to  below average mental and moral faculties. One could write a book on the reasons and factors contributing towards such a decadence. Nevertheless, this short piece is aimed at just pointing at the backlash of this unfortunate phenomenon, with the hope that it may contribute two cents towards improving the state of affairs.

First and foremost, the unrelenting verbal and physical brawls among the rulers and their cronies, add to the anxiety of the hapless listeners & watchers, who are unable to shield themselves due to unlimited ingress of media in our lives. The agitated psychological state caused in such an environment is contributing in raising peoples’ frustration and ill tempers in domestic and public lives. That leads to public violence and social unrest. Different types and levels of public protests and hostility experienced on the roads, streets and most public places is a testimony to this sorry state. Remember, a fish rots from the head!

 The second most serious issue is the political fissures caused by thoughtless and juvenile behavior, which further expose and even add to the existing fault lines. It is hard to find a place in our beloved country, which is not plagued by ethnic, linguistic, sectarian, religious and political polarisation. The ongoing state of affairs in Pakistan bears testimony to that effect. Burying our heads in the sand without putting a check on the dialogue and behaviour of the three pillars of the state as well as other politico-religious cult speaking and demonstrating in their favour or in opposition won’t be able to wish away the dreadful outcome that we continue to confront 24/7. The unprovoked aggression by Pakistan’s arch foe and frequent threats, any natural or man-made calamities, and even the daily supreme sacrifices rendered by men in uniform to safeguard the country and people, results only in a few seconds feelings-less lip service; and then back again to their hate filled rant. Obviously, in such a degeneracy, everyone is bound to be slapped with a question, ‘who will bell the cat then?’

Third, the ownership of the print and electronic media by the ruling elite, besides the ability to rent the non-owned channels and newspapers has almost deprived the public from knowing the truth. Consequently, falsehood seems to stand on firm feet, while naked truth remains buried under false narratives. Unfortunately, the tendency to silence or at least curb the sane voices is quite alarming and too obvious to be denied. The ban on some popular anchors and writers has made the others to be more docile and even submissive, which badly impinges on the quality of media and on the freedom of responsible speech. It is funny as well as frustrating to hear and see the clownish yet mafia-don-like appearances on daily TV Talk shows where anchors act as sheepish facilitators. Nevertheless, the illiteracy, mental and moral bankruptcy of the people in the helm of affairs stands fully exposed; ringing alarm bells, which should be regarded as clarion call.  

Fourth, the present-day narcissism by the ruling elite has far surpassed all past records.The shameless self-projection and self-praise by merciless spending of public funds is mind-boggling. And everyone seems to be in a race  to take a lead.  The recruitment of political followers in police, besides creation of some uniformed fancy forces by federal as well as Chief Ministers reminds of Z.A. Bhutto’s 1972 model FSF; not to forget its fallout! Our own history of Pakistan alludes to the fact that such forces are created to feel strong and to appease young political followers who act as goons to scare political opponents as well as the general public; but ultimately become Frankenstein's monster. The hybrid government needs to abolish this tendency being too dangerous for the federation and for the existence of a fragile political system in Pakistan.

I t goes without saying that the three established pillars of the state I.e. legislature, executive and judiciary, are constitutionally created with well stated roles and orbits to operate in for efficient, honest and true management of the state affairs. They are all public servants not rulers per say; however, haughty dispositions and immature discourses by quite a few of them is eroding the foundation of the state federation. Abraham Lincoln’s quote,“Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people” has made the USA a super power despite countless intrinsic differences and diversity; which at present is facing many internal and external challenges due to POTUS Trump’s bombast. The same has equal and even more applicability for Pakistan, which has consistently struggled to function as a true Islām-ī Jamhūrīya-e Pākistān/ Islamic Republic of Pakistan.