The problem with opening your eyes is you have to see; the consequences of this can be pleasant or unpleasant. Distasteful sights bring us dangerously close to our hypocrisy; for example, consider the demolition of I-11 slum in Islamabad - hundreds of destitute families lost the only security they had in their lives, roofs over their heads. The highly polarised arguments that ensued left us all with opinions; justified or otherwise. There were those who spoke of rule of law and insisted that the habitants of the slum were occupying the land illegally. Others, moved by the terrible scenes of women, children and old people being dragged out of their homes; perhaps a grim reminder of what Palestinians have to endure at the hands of Israel.
I see both sides of the argument but I also saw, like many of my compatriots, the elephant dancing right in front of our eyes. The elephant was CDA, an organisation with unparalleled reputation for corruption in Islamabad when it comes to land affairs, enforcing the evictions and demolition. The dramatic bulldozing, shelling and high-handed arrests kept us from seeing the other gigantic eyesore; there are many very rich and influential people in Pakistan who live their lives well and truly above all the laws of the land but there is nothing we can or are willing to do about it. Apologies if you felt blinded by the sudden glare of hypocrisy.
My sympathies, I admit, are with the slum dwellers but I can see why they were so 'rudely forced'; poverty is not just a handicap in Pakistan but it is also an invitation to all those with money to dig their spurs into the flesh of the poor. Destitution, ignorance and disempowerment have created two simple classes in Pakistan, Us and Them; an elegant and neat classification that allows us to accept our lot with or without dignity. To explain what I mean, let me narrate an incident that most of us can relate to; I once stood by a roadside in Rawalpindi waiting for a VIP to go by. I got talking to a man who looked hungry, thirsty and stressed; I asked him what he felt about having to wait so long to cross the road; his response opened my eyes like a splash of cold water on hot Summer's day. He said, 'What can we do, we are poor people and these people (gesturing towards the direction from which the VIP was expected) are 'بڑے لوگ ' (approximate translation: rich, powerful and well-connected people), we are powerless.'
Thanks to this stranger's response, I crossed a very big and busy mental road with my eyes open; and I did not like it. The first thing we pick up from his response is the acknowledgement that there exists 'them' and 'us' with a great big ocean between the two. The second striking thing about his response was his use of 'us' and 'we'; he was not speaking as an individual but as a group or a class. The last thing was the sheer futility of even trying to do anything about it because somehow 'بڑے لوگ' and their charmed lives are truly insulated and protected from scrutiny. I felt that for him, there was clearly a permanent roadblock between them and us and that was the life he was fated to live.
In Pakistan, the 'them' and 'us' classification is everywhere; socially, economically, politically and even in religion. The classification is so persistent and sinister that it has successfully subdued the only fact that has the power to counteract it; our humanity. If Nawaz Sharif, Zardari or Bilawal thought of all citizens as humans, the classification would break down and with it a loss of all the privileges and power that it affords. Nawaz Sharif and Qaim Ali Shah visit people drowning in floods with the pomp and glitz of rock stars; class distinction reinforces and sticks best when people are vulnerable. Then of course come the promises, the handouts of food and small sums of money; media goes into feverish delirium and flood victims drown in gratitude having nearly drowned in raging waters.
Ever wondered about the size of the new Bilawal House or Raiwind Palace? I wonder what is with the grandeur? Why build a mausoleum for the inglorious dead of Bhutto family? The answer is quite simple; size matters when it comes to them and us; it is important to keep things huge, opulent and Pharoahic if you are going to keep rest of the population where it is. It is not possible to justify nepotism unless you first make the general populace believe that rules are different for those with money, power and relentless greed. When people accept this basic notion; the rest of the journey from Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to Bilawal Zardari (or is it Bilwal Bhutto) is very easy indeed.
You might wonder, how does MQM fit into this scheme? Quite elegantly, I think. Altaf Hussain claims that he derives his secondary and tertiary leadership from lower and middle class population of Karachi; that bit I think is true. Altaf's philosophy of love is under pinned by those who give orders and those who carry them out; a neat and murderous class distinction. The so called middle class leadership in MQM are made to think they are part of a special class; their job is to keep reminding the ordinary supporters of MQM that they can be the special ones provided they offer certain services for the the cause without asking any questions. Altaf does not like people around him to have ideas hence the ongoing murder investigation in London.
Imran Khan holds much promise for millions of Pakistanis but it is evident that he too is at risk of ending up with a two-class PTI. He said yesterday that he was returning to the people to learn about their problems and aspiration; if he meant this then there is hope for everyone. IK made a serious mistake by expressing so much trust in Nasir ul Mulk and his commission; the fact is judiciary in Pakistan is run by a class who very existence depends on keeping rest of the population alive in the hope but deprived of justice. When did you last hear a judge being sent to jail for corruption? Is that because there is no corruption within the judiciary? Now, that made you laugh, did it not?
So there you have it, Shia-Sunni, military-civilian, Pakistanis-rest of the world, pious-non pious, asleep-awake and them-us; it is quite simply the way have have been, the way we are and they way we are likely to be - unless of course we ask, whilst waiting at a road block, why do I have to pause my live for a VIP? When the first Pakistani chooses to disregard a VIP route order and crosses the road, I suspect it will be the proverbial first drop of rain. Soon enough, others will find the courage to actively believe that it may be us and them but I am not without dignity and power - and it certainly is not my fate to put up with them.
I look forward to the day when Bilawal will attend a passport office like an ordinary citizen, without the pleasure of a hundred cars, road blocks and the entire passport office staff at his disposal. We are humans first and only then we are, us and them. We must learn to respect, cherish and defend our human dignity; this is the only way to write a new fate for ourselves that does not involve waiting for 'them' by a roadside.
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