pitafi
09-26-2006, 01:25 AM
By Farrukh Khan Pitafi
ISLAMABAD: The last Sunday will be remembered in the nation's history as the day rumours ruled the country. So strong were the rumours and the roots of their genesis were so irrelevant that one was left clueless. Even though a tacit admission of the government's absolute failure to ensure uninterrupted supply of basic facilities to the citizens, power outages have never been employed as a vehicle of political change in the Islamic Republic. What then triggered these rumours was the unprecedented scale of the power breakdown, which could either be attributed to the government's wilful designs or to an unprecedented sabotage. The news that the saboteurs also succeeded in destroying a gas pipeline in Balochistan on the same day reflects on the fact that despite Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti's death such activities are still visible in the country. Like the crash of the Fokker flight in Multan if this power failure turns out to be an accident it would surely highlight the nation's tenuous conditions.
The people affected by the rumours were also keen to ask our views. A quivering voice from my village asked me, "Will our country survive?" And to be honest this was the actual point of concern to all. Since there were muffled rumours about the possibility of a foreign attack on the nation's power generation capacity, it was quite natural for many to interpret things this way. But just like the immenseness of the power breakdown, the sweep of the rumours too was humongous. And to top it all, most of the people that I found inquiring about these rumours were upbeat and in convivial mood to celebrate. Why was this so?
There are many explanations for the cheerful mood of the people at the prospects of a change in the government. The first, essentially quite commonplace and trite is the readiness to point out the failures of the outgoing government. People of the underdeveloped countries facing economic dualism are seldom pleased with their governments especially when they are not their representatives too. The second explanation is more unnerving. People, according to this view, are indeed extremely weary of the government owing to the unprecedented price hike, political corruption, the meltdown of law and order and government's infatuation with the West and want some relief from this junta's policies.
The third is indeed an official explanation and somehow contains a grain of truth. It says we, the Pakistanis, are a fickle-minded lot and we get easily tired of a sitting government. That is exactly why we celebrated the ouster of Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto and a lot of other rulers. There is no denying that we are highly political in nature and some of us can even watch political developments with a pack of popcorns, on television screen, with the similar curiosity as would have suited a much-awaited blockbuster movie, a sports event or Ms World beauty pageant. But if there was some room for reform in this never-ending politicisation of the Pakistani mind, the current setup has already compromised it owing to its stubbornly uncompromising attitude. Similarly while there have been some short-term domestic policy reforms, the present government has not thus far shown any real desire to reform the ultimate roots of instability -- the ailing infrastructure dating back to the colonial era. Power distribution and water channelling blues are only two of the huge list of unresolved serious problems.
The incapacity of the current government to sack the departmental heads of the troublesome institutions may one day bring down upon it a crisis that is not easy to manage within little time. When such a state comes, the popular disquiet may finally eject the rulers from the power echelons. There is no denying that the mood in the street is very sombre and people feel highly disillusioned. In such a situation the rumour industry will keep flourishing and each rumour will add to the conditions ripe for a change. And just like there has never been an end to our sufferings, this vicious circle of change will never end. After all, rumours had started months before the military takeover in Nawaz's era. A state where rulers never heed their people's sufferings, rumours always win.
ISLAMABAD: The last Sunday will be remembered in the nation's history as the day rumours ruled the country. So strong were the rumours and the roots of their genesis were so irrelevant that one was left clueless. Even though a tacit admission of the government's absolute failure to ensure uninterrupted supply of basic facilities to the citizens, power outages have never been employed as a vehicle of political change in the Islamic Republic. What then triggered these rumours was the unprecedented scale of the power breakdown, which could either be attributed to the government's wilful designs or to an unprecedented sabotage. The news that the saboteurs also succeeded in destroying a gas pipeline in Balochistan on the same day reflects on the fact that despite Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti's death such activities are still visible in the country. Like the crash of the Fokker flight in Multan if this power failure turns out to be an accident it would surely highlight the nation's tenuous conditions.
The people affected by the rumours were also keen to ask our views. A quivering voice from my village asked me, "Will our country survive?" And to be honest this was the actual point of concern to all. Since there were muffled rumours about the possibility of a foreign attack on the nation's power generation capacity, it was quite natural for many to interpret things this way. But just like the immenseness of the power breakdown, the sweep of the rumours too was humongous. And to top it all, most of the people that I found inquiring about these rumours were upbeat and in convivial mood to celebrate. Why was this so?
There are many explanations for the cheerful mood of the people at the prospects of a change in the government. The first, essentially quite commonplace and trite is the readiness to point out the failures of the outgoing government. People of the underdeveloped countries facing economic dualism are seldom pleased with their governments especially when they are not their representatives too. The second explanation is more unnerving. People, according to this view, are indeed extremely weary of the government owing to the unprecedented price hike, political corruption, the meltdown of law and order and government's infatuation with the West and want some relief from this junta's policies.
The third is indeed an official explanation and somehow contains a grain of truth. It says we, the Pakistanis, are a fickle-minded lot and we get easily tired of a sitting government. That is exactly why we celebrated the ouster of Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto and a lot of other rulers. There is no denying that we are highly political in nature and some of us can even watch political developments with a pack of popcorns, on television screen, with the similar curiosity as would have suited a much-awaited blockbuster movie, a sports event or Ms World beauty pageant. But if there was some room for reform in this never-ending politicisation of the Pakistani mind, the current setup has already compromised it owing to its stubbornly uncompromising attitude. Similarly while there have been some short-term domestic policy reforms, the present government has not thus far shown any real desire to reform the ultimate roots of instability -- the ailing infrastructure dating back to the colonial era. Power distribution and water channelling blues are only two of the huge list of unresolved serious problems.
The incapacity of the current government to sack the departmental heads of the troublesome institutions may one day bring down upon it a crisis that is not easy to manage within little time. When such a state comes, the popular disquiet may finally eject the rulers from the power echelons. There is no denying that the mood in the street is very sombre and people feel highly disillusioned. In such a situation the rumour industry will keep flourishing and each rumour will add to the conditions ripe for a change. And just like there has never been an end to our sufferings, this vicious circle of change will never end. After all, rumours had started months before the military takeover in Nawaz's era. A state where rulers never heed their people's sufferings, rumours always win.