As dusk approaches, a gentle
breeze brushes against passionate countenances of people who have gathered at D-chowk - today charged with adrenaline
– all set to welcome the thrilling twilight, scores of which have of lately been
capturing the media and imagination of the Pakistani mind. Young girls clad in hijabs,
neck-scarves and aviators; some sporting caps and almost all holding netted
flags, flags which have been dyed in red and green with a white Crescent and “Tehreek-e-Insaf” scribbled in Urdu. On the
top of its voice shouts a man – once a cricketer, now a politician- in a loudspeaker and out aloud the girls
respond:
Loudspeaker: “Dekho dekho kaun aaya” Girls:
“Sher ka shikari aaya!”
“Dekho
dekho kaun aaya” “Sher ka shikari aaya!”
Loudspeaker: “Kaun Bachayega Pakistan” Girls: “Imran Khan Imran Khan”
“Kaun
Bachayega Pakistan” “Imran Khan Imran Khan”
This is only a recapitulation of
lately what has been a recurring drama in Islamabad. Local fields swelled up
with Pakistani youth and middle class people have been much covered by the media
in the past 2 months. As an observer who sits comfortably in his room, I have
but little idea of what is brewing inside our neighbouring country. My sources
have been news reports and media footages. I am hence only commenting on what I
have observed and my opinions regarding it.
The situation stretches back to
the 14th General Elections of Pakistan held in May 2013, which
declared the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) as the single largest party
henceforth making Nawaz Sharif as the new Prime Minister of the 6th most
populous nation of the world – Islamic Republic of Pakistan. However contrary
to popular sentiments, which hailed these elections to be the most “free and
fair” in Pakistan’s history, reporting of large scale rigging soon emerged out.
The Election Commission of Pakistan came up with serious allegations of rigging
and even mentioned the involvement of returning officers and civil servants in
it. Thereafter the anger which was broiling bit by bit in opposition lead by
Ameen Faheem’s Pakistan People’s Party
and Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
party broke out at last with the members of PTI resigning their membership of Parliament and calling the
general public for demonstrations and sit-ups ahead of Parliament and the PM
house. The scene depicted at the start of this article mentions one such
sit-up.
Several sit-ups followed and
scores of people from different shades of Pakistani public attended such
gatherings. Pakistan Awami League’s sufi
cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri was soon to follow (Imran Khan) and his presence bloated
the attendance with more participants, this time his supporters. The masses, as
many as 25,000 people, were composed of all and sundry belonging to different
classes and opinions; young and old alike they stood for their aims were same- “Nawaz Sharif gaddi chhodo” or “Go Nawaz Go”. The demonstrators faced a
heavy blow when few PTI supporters
stormed the premises of state news agency PTV
and took the services off the air. They had to face police action which lead to
3 casualties. Clashes also took place in front of PM house against which Pakistani Defence Minister Khwaja Asif ordered for selective crackdown. “The writ of the state must be enforced” said
Asif. Recent developments have witnessed the emergence of a committee of opposition politicians
called jigra (PTI, PPP, PAT) which looks forward to mediate talks between
embattled Nawaz Sharif government and the protesters. Also while Nawaz
government has conceded all the demands of protesters (~ changes into the
election process), it still stands adamant against their penultimate demand of
PM’s resignation.
So much for the crash course on
history of recent Pakistani turmoil. All said and done, what catches my
attention the most are the sit-ups. These were (now strength decreasing)
bloated gatherings often with people in quantities as many as 100,000s sitting
together to demand Nawaz’s resignation. D-chowk
holds most of these gatherings where Imran Khan has taken a temporary shelter
in a shipping container. This Cricket star turned politician who is now also
addressed as the Punjabi Sher holds
the reigns of the demonstrations. Peculiarly enough, he finds it hard to talk
except in cricketing metaphors. As soon as the public calms down to listen him
speak, he shouts aloud in the mic “Aapke
kaptaan me abhi bohot jaan baaki hai!” -“There
is still much life left in your captain” or “ye samajhte kyu nahi ki inki innings khatm ho gayi hai aur pavilion
jaane ka waqt a gaya hai?”-“Why don’t they get it that their inning has ended
and that they’re due to pavilion?” The charismatic leader of PTI (whose election symbol is a cricket
bat!) emerges out in the evenings –amidst tunes of pop song Allah Hu Allah Hu- to address his
supporters and spends his days travelling and mobilising people.
The grip however is loosening
now and gradually people are losing interest. The demonstrations were an
expression of anger in the popular mind-set of common people facing wide scale
corruption, poor governance, terrorism, failed public service delivery (health,
electricity, water, sanitation) so on and so forth. Once the anger is vented
out, it gives relief to the mind and people soon lose faith in the
demonstrations especially after government crackdowns. Many amongst the
demonstrators were young college going men and women, who could not continue to
take breaks from their studies for long.
In the wake of negotiations and
mediations, the strength of supporters in streets is decreasing continuously
thus marking the concluding phase of these undemocratic popular demonstrations.
There are more pressing concerns such as Indo-Pak border shelling and ceasefire
violations for which Pakistan will have to answer. Under pro-active gestures of
friendship and mutual dialogue shown by their Indian counterparts (whether it
is invitation to Narendra Modi’s swearing in ceremony or his UN general
assembly speech), Pakistan must take a serious stand against terrorism and be
equal partners with India to solve the border issue with dialogue and
deliberations. This is the right time for us to revoke the biannual Defence Secretary level talks which have
been in a state of limbo since some time and respect the sacredness of
ceasefire. But for this to take place seriously, Pakistan must soon solve its
internal crisis first, even if it demands a re-elections.
