HIDING BEHIND PROVINCIALISM

Martin Luther King Junior was very right in saying that riots are the voices of the unheard. The exhibition of this famous saying is evident on roads and highways in Pakistan these days due to intolerable levels of power outages. The criminal neglect of our policy makers in fulfilling their obligations in provisioning basic amenities of life falls too shorts of the minimum requisite standards. It has thus unnerved the people particularly in the month of Ramadan. People are facing sixteen hours and even more power load shedding on daily basis. Well, it’s needless to discuss what our nation is going through for everyone is well aware of the situation. Our politicians, as usual are busy in mud slinging at each other on regular basis. Truth to be told, no party can be exonerated from this charge that makes them all equally responsible for this situation. However, the most frightening facet of these debates in the political parties is that they have started using ‘provincialism’ as a shield to cover their incompetence, indifference and non-seriousness towards national issues. They quickly threaten to get out of coalitions when it comes to their shares in the ministries while they remain as silent as stones on national issues. The famous quote of Aristotle fits in very well in this situation, ‘Inferiors revolt in order that they may be equal, and equals that they may be superior’.

                This trend of dragging provincialism into the mainstream politics is not seen in a single province. It is taken as a policy (perhaps) by all the provinces. Pakistan Peoples Party is seen playing ‘Sind Card’; Muslim League (Nawaz) is seen beating the drums about injustices by federal government against Punjab; Political parties in Balochistan are observed talking about usurpation of their resources and similarly Awami National Party play their politics on Kalabagh dam. Now, if we closely look at the recent statements and stances of representatives of major political parties; it becomes absolutely clear that they have started creating mistrust and hatred amongst the provinces. Ironically, we have not learnt anything from 1971 East Pakistan debacle. Some dubious groups of politicians were able to create hatred amongst masses in Eastern and Western wings of Pakistan that suited them well. The old British principle ‘Divide and rule’ was practiced as a precious British legacy. The hatred that had been created culminated at East Pakistan becoming Bangladesh; so heart-rending an incident that the scars have not yet dimmed. As a result, we were disgraced as a nation, our army was disgraced as an army and our politicians were disgraced as politicians. And yet, we did not learn the lesson. History, therefore repeats itself for we don’t learn from it.

                Now, the question arises, whether or not our masses will be able to understand the heinous intentions of our political leaders who are busy in playing their respective cards. Will our masses be able to sense the motives behind their slogans those are colored in provincialism? Will our masses be able to smell the conspiracies and self-serving practices of this class of politicians behind such debates? It is generally believed that the opening up of media has helped a great deal in educating our masses and creating political awareness amongst people. Whether it is true or not, and to what extent, the coming elections will tell. Optimistically, we can assume that the contribution of media must have played a significant role if not a major one in educating the people in all spheres of life besides some grey areas. As described by Albert Camus, ‘A free press can, of course, be good or bad, but, most certainly without freedom, the press will never by anything but bad.