The people’s joy, to be fair, is understandable, despite the fact that the arrest came 33 days late. Its the rage – the bloodlust – that is somewhat baffling. Who are these individuals and why are they exhibiting signs of deep alienation and despair? And what are our political leaders doing about it? The short answer is, of course, not much. This is because in Pakistan, politics has been reduced to the realm of symbols and empty rhetoric and petty one-upmanship contests of a cultural, moral, aesthetic nature taking place among elites who are either blissfully unaware of or simply indifferent to the average person’s experiences.
Discussions about censorship don’t make much sense in a hyper-global, digital world as there is simply no way to block content in a selective manner on the internet. Thanks to VPNs that any kind of [forbidden, blocked] content can be accessed at will by anyone with a smartphone and access to the internet. Here, I’ll point out the fact that Pakistan ranks at the top of the list for global porn searches. It is a deep societal problem particularly for a country whose leadership loves periodically bragging about its morally/spiritually pure character relative to the West – a petty meaningless jab in the purely aesthetic realm which has nothing to do with material conditions.
Again, the solution to these issues isn’t suppression, but radical institutional reforms which are always far from easy, and can only be truly pursued over the long haul. It involves technical expertise that is informed by deep comprehensive research, difficult hierarchical decision-making, and by challenging entrenched power structures and questioning fundamental values. Perhaps, most importantly, it involves having the political will to start from scratch in a manner that isn’t unhinged from ordinary people’s reality.
Public displays of barbarism are an escape route for corrupt political leaders in situations like these – a convenient 'theatrical performance', if you will, to opportunistically mould a losing position as to enhance voter base. The idea is a fairly straightforward one: “Here, look at this – the gallows, the noose, the man. He’s dead, see? Justice. For you, the people – my people. Remember who did this the next time you’re at the ballot box.” And voila, a pathetic abracadabra gesture to make an utter mockery out of the ordinary citizen while buying some time as they resume their politics of duct-taping. On a more personal note, I've always perceived death penalty to be the lax option as far as punishments are concerned: a few seconds of physical pain for the perpetrator before his lights go out. A mere drop in the ocean compared to the anguish of his victim compelled to endless suffering of various kinds – physical, emotional, spiritual, social, psychological – for as long as she lives.
And with the Pakistan ‘Democratic’ Movement underway, these issues have been swept under the rug, out of sight and out of mind, as if they never even happened. Meanwhile, visuals from the marches of the dismal Machiavellian politicians backed by corporate media elites are forced onto us all day, and we are expected to pick a ‘side’ – a blatantly false dichotomy.
The real choice isn’t between the Establishment and mainstream political parties masquerading as representatives of the people. Make no mistake, its between the 1% and the 99%; the beneficiaries of a neoliberal global order vis a vis the alienated who have had their basic human dignities snatched. This can’t be a struggle to exclusively alter cultural norms, which can only evolve in organic ways over the course of centuries, millennia even. It has to be a strictly political and economic one with a clear ideology that galvanizes the people. The next era in Pakistan’s history will be defined by that very struggle provided that I, you, all of us collectively, actively engage.