Comedy in tragedy
Unlike what the mainstream media
believes, portrays, or covers, I have always found a PML-N government to be a
comic affair. Ever since their first stints of power in my teen years to today,
every time they have been in power, in their desire to look ultra-smart they
end up providing comic relief to the observers. This time around, however, the
affair seems to be on steroids. And if that was not enough what followed APS
attack has sealed the deal for someone looking for ultimate comic relief. And
the magnitude of tragedy that it follows and the problem that we face makes
this comedy even more tragic.
We are dealing with a government
that seems to have no clue of the problems and how to deal with them. And in
all seriousness trying to solve them without clue, it is creating a classic
comedy. On security policy, all it is resorting to is a series of All Parties
Conferences. Even that would have been fine had the agenda been initiated by
the government. But the missing entity from all these conferences is the
government itself. Yes Mr. Prime Minister does make a feeble-toned speech with
strong rhetoric (that actually makes it look all the more comic) but in the end
one does not see government in agenda setting or even contributing to agenda
setting. Even in its perilous, pathetic state, from politicos, it is Pakistan
Peoples Party that seems to be leading and the APCs seem a dialogue and
consultation between PPP and the Army. The government in power seems to have
yielded it all to the armed forces on policy front.
And this indeed is even more
comic because flash back 10 months and this government was trying to hold the
armed forces by their throat. From Geo incident to Musharraf trial, it was bent
on nabbing the power of armed forces. 10 months down and the government has
fallen on the feet of armed forces in what is the most complete surrender of
any civilian government in the history of Pakistan, from holding by throat to
falling on feet with nothing in between.
And this main comedy affair is
followed by comedies on the peripheries. In response to one of the worst terror
attacks in the country, the interior minister wanted to regulate the amount of
bread loafs one could buy at the bread shops. And then he appears in Senate
ending his boycott of the upper house and roars at the ministers who are not
attending the session (which by the way is more or less the entire cabinet). Pressers
by information minister make even the serious sort go tipsy laughing. And then
there are speech writers of Prime Minister and Chief Minister of Punjab who are
bent on dragging fight against terrorism into every speech of theirs, be it
related to revamping of the sewer system of Jia
Bagga, without naming Taliban.
If this was not enough, after
lifting of moratorium on capital punishment, one of the first to be hanged
turns out to be a juvenile charged on a petty family feud, making the mockery
of the entire process. Courts of Punjab come to the help of government and
release mastermind of Mumbai attack leading to more embarrassment for the
country at this critical juncture. And then right under government’s watch a
deal is brokered between two sectarian terrorist outfits to pardon each
other’s’ killers. We could have afforded the antics of comedy on issues like
bread loafs and Jia Bagga sewer system but capital punishment was introduced to
give a stern message to the terrorists and it turning into a laughing stock
undermines the effectiveness of the measure to begin with.
This comedy of errors make some
doubt that PML-N may deliberately by trying to do all these to undermine Army’s
proactive push against the terrorist post-Zarb-e-Azab and particularly post-APS
attack. Just when I, too, am very apprehensive of PML-N’s historic terrorist
connections, I have more faith in its ability to act humorous (for the lack of
a more polite expression). When Kamran Akmal got cleared of match fixing
charges for famous Sydney Test, the best comment was: ‘hence proved he is
actually a lousy wicketkeeper’. With these comedies of PML-N, I would tend to
subscribe to a similar opinion about it too.
With the sword of allegations of
electoral rigging hanging over its head, if rigging is proved, PML-N will be on
its way out. If not, it should be allowed to complete its term respecting the
mandate. However, it is imperative to attack and correct the myth of PML-N’s
competence. In 90s and now, it has been a party known for comedies of errors.
From its decisions on economic and energy front to its handling of foreign policy
and security policy, it is one big bunch of inept sorts. We need to register
this, remember this, and keep reminding everyone of it. We and our generations
can ill afford such stand up comedies at the very top of national
decision-making.
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