The Anatomy of Rot

[stingingnettle]

Better late than never; today Pakistan is waking up to a prospect – a second coming, if you like; there is palpable hope that we might free ourselves from a rotten and oppressive reality. It took a year of futile legal efforts and the attempted murder of Hamid Mir for us to wake up to the need to fix the problem at the root of most of our administrative and governance problems; an election mechanism that stinks to high heaven. The elections of 11 May 2013 were meant to provide a paradigm shift – a nation’s coming of age and finally understanding the need for true and fair representation of the people of Pakistan. So it came to pass we missed the tell-tale stink of corrupt manipulation as we approached the elections 0f 2013.

The circus started when manipulated and compromised ECP was given the task of holding free and fair elections; this is akin to asking forty thieves to look after our most prized treasure, our mandate. ECP pumped blood into the veins of the nation by declaring that magnetic ink will be used this time round which will make verification of fingerprints a piece of cake (something we all like as a nation). The rulers at the time wasted no time in appointing Returning Officers (ROs) of their choice to various constituencies so that any or all punctures could be fixed in time and hence saving a hell lot more than just nine.

The appointed ROs wasted no time in disappointing by asking prospective candidates, as they turned up like naughty school boys and girls to file their nomination papers, the most irrelevant questions that could ever be asked. Pakistan was in stiches thanks to the comedic media coverage – we were laughing our heart, lungs and kidneys out. People like Zardari’s adopted brother, Mr ‘Tappi’ turned up in the latest black SUV surrounded by at least four other black SUVs and many more Police escort vehicles to file his nomination papers. He triumphantly explained away the fact that he had paid little or no income tax in Pakistan because he has no work connections to Pakistan. The imbecile, sorry I mean the RO who questioned him, also failed to ask him about the monetary source of his pomp and SUVs which made such a grand arrival possible. Many tens of stories like this told at the time but by the time Pakistani had finished laughing, it was too late. As soon as the nominations of many tax-dodging liars were accepted without difficulty, many of us began to worry about the tragedy unfolding right in front of our TV screens.

The writing was tattooed on our foreheads; ‘taken for a ride yet again!’ As election fever took hold of our mind and body, the fat hyenas of Pakistan’s political dynasties were busy ringing puncture specialists. The rot was deeper than just the skin; our judicial bones were infected too. Iftikhar Chaudry was going to prove himself more than just incompetent liar; he was going to show us that every bone in his body was sold and that he had verily earned the infamy of being Pakistan’s greatest disappointment in recent decades. On the day of the elections; a frenzied media reported tens of cases rigging, thuggery, intimidation and blatant violation of rules and laws but it seems our fatalism was keeping us nicely numb. GEO TV’s power of prognostication (with the help of a man with a bird) were impressive; even before the dodgy ink had dried on many of the ballot papers, it was happily declaring Nawaz Sharif and his PML N winner of elections 2013. Today’s other holier-than-thou channels soon picked up the trend and fell into the basket like incubating eggs. Our feet were tingling from the long walk to nowhere; Pakistan had witnessed yet another non-election.

FAFEN was quick to point some basic requirements to investigate the flood of complaints that were washing away the euphoria of the first ever democratic transition of power in Pakistan’s history. The failure of ROs to file and the Government to make public all the data from polling stations started to raise more than just eye-brows. The stink of rigging was strong enough for Iftikhar Chaudry (I find it hard to call him Chief Justice) to take off his gas-mask and smell the foul and filthy elections but his tongue and mind was in a state of self-induced paralysis. Fingerprint verification would have been the easiest way to shut up all those who were crying ‘foul smell’ all over Pakistan but that was not to be. I was in a mild state of panic at the prospect of having to admit Tahir ul Qadri was right all along; today I am happy to concede, he was right about ECP and the system we rely on to deliver our fair and lovely elections. PTI did come out into the streets at the time to protest against rigging but was let down by its leadership which was unwilling to take the bull by the horn and bring the matter to proper conclusion.

Even though I do not agree with it at all, I guess Imran Khan’s argument made sense to many; we should first exhaust all legal options of getting the matter sorted. A White Paper was duly issued and a demand was made to look into the voting in four constituencies as test cases but as I expected that was never going to be. The problem with PTI’s approach was that it relied heavily on ECP and the courts of Pakistan doing something they have rarely or never done; deliver justice and fair play. Our courts are only fit to accommodate courtesans and not defenders of our Constitution and justice; this should not be news to anyone unless you are Iftikhar Chaudry. His sensational failure to do his job properly achieved the unachievable; it made the outgoing PPP Government look like prosecuted people of Biblical Egypt. His conduct was the clearest sign that the blood of deception, lies and self-glory runs thick in our election system; so all our hopes and aspirations had been founded on a lie. Ashamedly I have to admit, I saw the reinstatement of Iftikhar Chaudry as a great sign of change and hope but today I will make my second admission of defeat; I was completely wrong and out of my senses to think that.

Imran Khan and PTI have done the right thing by calling a lie by its true name; the so called ‘elections’ in Pakistan has given us the third coming of the Nawaz Sharif kingdom of dynastic rule. I believe journalistic divergence is as vital for a country as oxygen is for the human body and I cannot agree with muzzling media in any country but in Pakistan we have rather common problem; media houses in Pakistan breech rules and norms – just like everyone else in the country. Yes, fornicating with merit, justice and the Constitution is something almost every institution in Pakistan does as a rule so forgive me for not ‘digging’ our hallucinations and rants complaining about a lack of the same. To expect GEO, ARY or any other channel to behave in a professional and fair manner is like hoping puncture specialists to fix aircrafts. I will put it honestly; I have stopped watching GEO completely but it is not because of the recent Hamid Mir episode but because I cannot stand people like Amir Liaqat and Najm Sethi. When we criticise GEO, we have to avoid the obvious hole.

The debate about treason is very different from the debate about showing barely clad Indian dancing starlets on our cable networks. For those suffering from amnesia, let me remind you that in the 80s when parabolic antennas became legal; the fungal growth of desire under our garments was obvious and itchy. Overnight, city roof tops were covered in parabolic dishes point towards an angle in sky that would catch the maximum number of Indian channels. So please, cut the smelly stuff and stop complaining about the promiscuity on our screens; it is not the job of the media to peddle morality and salvation, it is our own personal job as a parent to teach it to our children. Media has to adhere to common sense regulations of decency and fairness but these cannot be enforced by an organisation like PEMRA which lacks certain round procreative parts in its anatomy. This is why fixing the system is far more important than screaming treason or holding elections.

I have little doubt that GEO besmirched the reputation of a man (who happens to be the ISI chief) and an entire organisation (ISI) on a whim and then went on for at least 8 hours writhing in the orgasmic throes of self-righteous victimhood. The correct manner of dealing with this would have been for Hamid Mir to file a court case and name the accused but that, we all know, is the exact path to futility. The response to the whole affair from a punctures-assisted Nawaz Government was nothing short of criminal ineptitude with the chief offender being Khawaja Asif, who often finds it hard to remember the country he represents as a defence minister.

Imran Khan’s call for starting a protest movement on 11 May 2014 is the right call, in my opinion. I often quote Hasan Nisar who says that ‘you can run haram through this machine as often as you like but only haram will materialise from the other end;’ this is the most succinct expression of the challenge we face today as a nation of 20 million people. The time is upon us to come out peacefully and change the system once and for all; history has a nasty habit of not giving too many chances people who are unwilling to act. Changing the systems that allow oppression, nepotism and exploitation is a responsibility beyond party affiliations and for this reason, I entreat every young and old Pakistani to out peacefully and embrace your destiny. The time for talking is truly over; the rot must end. We are all in this together.

[resurrected]

SN,
A fine and comprehensive write as usual, starting with the rigged elections to present tug of war between our silly and fraudulent government, a media house and a state institution, where the two former stand allied to each other. How this unfortunate situation will be tackled, is quite obvious and we can expect some stormy days ahead. Despite my own reservations regarding the role of agencies in this country, I agree that the arisen controversy was highly unnecessary and could be avoided. Honestly speaking, it’s unjust to single out Geo/Jang group, just by looking at the media in general, one can conclude that the entire lot is ruthless and needs to be given code of conduct. As to rigging in the last elections is concerned, we all cried, foul and criticized ECP, Judiciary, Caretaker governments and the other involved in the crimes of stealing of the mandate and did that without anyone from the political leadership reacting. Imran should never have accepted the manipulated results. Why did he trust the one eyed devil is a mystery to me. Personally, I have always been suspecting the scum from the day I heard him telling Gillani, “Sir, why you make the trouble, you should have asked me to…” the words stream forth when Gillani came unannounced to some farewell party taking place in the SC. In some comment, MG and Shim have counted the factors, responsible for MPL-N’s victory. I believe there are other factors other than CJP, Caretaker governments, ECP, Kiyani and Geo/Jang group. I think that PPPP, agencies, International crooks were equally involved in this conspiracy.
In my eyes, Nawaz is less of a PM and more of an Emperor who is devoid of all wisdom and therefore his fate is already decided. You can read it on the wall. In detail, I’ll write in later when I start writing a new series on Pak Vision.

[stingingnettle]

Res, you sum it up brilliantly up for me;

"As to rigging in the last elections is concerned, we all cried, foul and criticized ECP, Judiciary, Caretaker governments and the other involved in the crimes of stealing of the mandate and did that without anyone from the political leadership reacting. Imran should never have accepted the manipulated results."

During the first Gulf War, Saddam Hussain's troops literally waltz into Kuwait; the reason was ridiculously simple; the rulers and military leadership of Kuwait had fled the country just before the event. So guess what, the soldiers on the ground were left without leadership and command!

PTI must put contingencies in place to deal with disaster at the top. I hope, as Shimatoree sahib says else where, IK was on a 'learning curve' and PTI will not repeat the same mistake again.

Yes, Nawaz Sharif might behave like an emperor but the good news is that no one has told him honestly what his new clothes look like.

I just hope and pray, PTI stays away from the GEO distraction because this has the potential to derail any concerted effort to change things in PK. You are absolutely right, media houses in Pakistan are commercial entities with their own vested interests and to take them too seriously or talk 'patriotism' is not worth the keyboard it is typed on.

We need fundamental reforms starting from disbanding ECP with immediate effect.

[resurrected]

SN,

My point of view is not different than Shim, he very often voices my own thoughts.
I agree that Imran is a very honest person who wants to bring about a real change, but I have stopped believing in his capacity to do so, simply because he has some inherent deficiencies, which he neither wants to do anything about nor he has the will to deal with such a great task.
Sorry to state that Imran is not a leader we need at this junction.
His 11th may movement can't bring the government to its knees, because it's a movement too out of time. He certainly can bring the men with boots back to power, but what's the catch for us in that scenario?
Having said the most important, I still prefer the movement instead of accepting the sham results and sham democracy with two major parties waging the politics of mukmuka, to milk the country to the maximum. I'm even for a takeover by the third party, if it promises to hang all corrupt people of our country, regardless of where they come from. Also, no general, judge or media tycoon getting away from his hideous crimes. Bring me such an honest and capable person and I surrender my life long ideal of democracy for the very good of the country.