Uncomfortable Truths: Tyranny of the Unknown
Tags: Truth, Pakistan Politics, Human Rights, Justice, Current Affairs

Truth must be spoken. We all know that. Elders tell us to be truthful. Scriptures tell us to be truthful. Yet we see that truth has always been so hard to get at. It is difficult to tell who is telling the truth in a court of law. Both sides profess to be telling the truth and yet one is lying. Why has this been created in so convoluted a manner, nobody can tell. Still it is important that truth is spoken. For your own sake and for everybody else’s sake.

A few days ago, truth was spoken by Imran Khan. In a meeting of his ministers and special advisers he accepted the fact that governance is hard, and he was not ready for it when he got to the helm. His mere acceptance of the fact that he found it difficult to run the country for a better part of three years, is indicative of the fact that what is so wished and desired is not necessarily a bed of roses. In this case, much coveted prime minister-ship of the country was chased by Imran Khan for almost 22 years. Either he was really motivated by a sense of sincerity towards his fellow country men or he was oblivious of the tyranny that “unknown” inflicts. The admission by Imran Khan, can be interpreted in many ways.

On the one hand, it is possible that the premier was acknowledging the fumbled administration that has been his hallmark while in office. And the mounting crises of one sort or the other every next day. On the other, it is quite possible that Imran Khan was doing what nobody has ever done. Not at least in Pakistan. Not to my knowledge. He told the people that it is necessary to be prepared if you want to run the country. If you are not prepared, then you will encounter many problems. You might not be able to deliver on your promises that you have been so vehemently making to the public.

It is necessary to discuss these remarks in the context of counterfactuals. Why not other prime ministers of the past gave out such remarks about their own performances? Were they better politicians, or were they better at administration, or worse were they too afraid too speak the uncomfortable truths? In my opinion it was none of these. “Better politicians” can be discussed. Politics is a people-related career. They were certainly better at giving good deals to the people. This is the reason that many still return their calls. They were certainly not better administrators. They just kept the country going. As for truths, they never spoke them.

What was different in their case was that they were the results of a system. They were the beneficiaries of a system. They dwelt inside the system and fed on it. They knew that their existence and their survival is related to the existence and survival of the system. So, they did just enough to keep the system going so as not to lose their piece of the pie. Now, they were not alone in keeping that system propped up. They needed help all the time. They always got that help while teeming millions outside the system looked askance for deliverance. Imran Khan, for his personal sake, born and bred in love of the millions, did his party on his own. He has come on the stage so as to challenge the established order of things. To do what his predecessors failed to do, which is to capitalize on the existing opportunities and to make new opportunities for the country to progress. And the model of progress should be such whose rewards are distributed evenly among the people and not just at the top. He is trying to redo the system. Which is not proving easy. And so, the uncomfortable truths. But certainly, his accession to power has given the system a shake. And we might see the system shedding off the unnecessary and unproductive parts of itself. For better or for worse, a new equilibrium might be attained. For that he has earned five years from the system. Let’s give him those. Democracy must be given the chance to mature itself.

This brings us to the second part of the present argument. Tyranny of the Unknown. It was Aristotle who said that “nature abhors a vacuum”. It is a very simple natural phenomenon, but its applications can also be found in human societies. In the absence of a just social order, an unjust social order might creep in. The absence of able leadership has ailed the country since its inception. Sometimes, I ask myself this question, what if Quaid-e-Azam had lived just enough to give our country a constitution? Our history would have been so much different. When you are a criminal, then you can not snitch on your partners in crime. You have to stay mum for your own sake. Leading a political party or running a business is very different from running a country. When you have to run a country then you must think of all those who get affected by your decisions, by your words when they are not needed and by your mere silence when it’s not needed. The lack of courage to speak the uncomfortable truths and the silence on the crimes perpetuated by those who have never been held accountable is a result of the trend that only degenerate leaders were given the reins of government. Those who need help themselves to come to power can never lift their fingers on their helpers. They know they have come to power on borrowed time. They cannot possibly fall to such lows. So, they just stayed quiet while the perpetrators of tyranny kept on inflicting injuries on so many people around the country. This tyranny of the unknown has put a lid on the democratic freedoms of the people of the country. The campaign to stifle dissent and putting down people’s voice, especially in Baluchistan are a horror which none of us can imagine. It is no surprise now that when the helpers have pulled their helping hands, these self-styled saviors of democracy have started to litigate their erstwhile helpers as a threat to democracy itself.

So, it boils down to this, that when the system is helping you and, by system is meant all the institutions and vested interests, then you should just get along with it. That you do not speak up on matters which are critical to fundamental freedoms of the people like freedom of expression and right to a just and fair trial. But when the system stops helping you then you start snitching like a rat.

Uncomfortable truths must be spoken. Tyranny of the unknown must be stopped. It is only the powerful who can challenge the powerful. We can not help a people’s revolution. Revolutions are bloody. They are no guarantee to a better tomorrow. Chaos must not be created. The system must be reformed by remaining in the system. For that we need to start speaking the truth for a beginning. Fear of others should give you courage. Nobody is above the law. No individual, no institution. This is against the principles of Islam itself. If few people are not safe from the tyranny of unknown, then it must be said that nobody is safe.