From Denial to Reality: The Unveiling of Fascism
Military dictatorship is born from the power of the gun, and so it undermines the concept of the rule of law and gives birth to a culture of might, a culture of weapons, violence and intolerance.
Benazir Bhutto
Pakistan has been plunged into unprecedented chaos and pandemonium, with the once-romantic relationship between the people of Pakistan and the establishment coming to an abrupt end.
The rift became more pronounced a few months ago when the former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, was shot during a rally, and today it reached undiscovered levels of hostility. People of Punjab were among the audience whose patience hit the roof as Khan was arrested on May 9th.
Civilians have gathered in various cities of Pakistan to show their extreme dissent towards this act. They have barged into the Corps Commander’s house in Lahore and burnt the Governor’s house, provoking turmoil nationwide. But, the question that rises is why and how did matters escalate this drastically? Because this cannot be the consequence of a one-time thing.
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Did you know? The Jinnah House in Lahore Cantt, Bungalow No. 53, was purchased by Pakistan’s founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, from a Hindu named Mohan Lal Bashin in 1943. The British Army took this house on a lease, and refused to give it back after independence. This house was then being used as the residence of Lahore’s Corps Commander, showing that the Pakistan Army has no qualms about appropriating historical properties for its own purposes. Prior to Partition, Jinnah, acquired three major properties, including his Lahore house, which were palatial in nature. The other two were located in Karachi and Mumbai.
Arresting Khan was the last trigger that unleashed animosity amidst civilians. It is high time that we stop being a marionette to a crafty puppet master and break free from their grasp to reclaim our autonomy. Because, for how long will we be used as pawns in the bigger man’s game?
Dirty politics has long been a part of Pakistan’s constitution. We are not a ‘democratic country’ at all. We are and might always be under the shadow of the men in khaki. A spark of hope ignited when we heard the former Chief of Army Staff, General Bajwa say in his last public speech,
“In my opinion, the reason for this is the constant meddling by the army in politics for the last 70 years, which is unconstitutional. That is why, since February last year, the military has decided they will not interfere in any political matter.”
But, who were we kidding? All that went down the drain when we realised what goes on behind the scenes is not necessarily what we see on the front screen. All the chaos created by the civilians is a result of all the piled-up resentment the boys created for themselves. It’s quite easy to say that the civilians have no right to vandalism, but turning a blind eye to how dictators have cut off all resources for the country to thrive and prosper is a sin within its own. How do we compensate for all the loss that has been done? for all the lives lost? At this point, even the worst form of government is better than anarchy.
Concluding with a grave remark. Be careful when you start a fire, for its direction can change unexpectedly, and the flames that once seemed to be under control can quickly become a raging inferno that engulfs everything in its path, including yourself.
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