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.

Edited version appeared in  - Comedy in tragedy -  January 15, 2015

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