Multan Stampede & Our Elite

Multan Stampede & our Elite

The more things change, the more they stay the same. In words of evergreen late dilawar figar ‘halaat-e-haazra ko kai saal hogaye’. Imran Khan’ emergence as a force to be reckoned with on the political landscape of Pakistan was lauded and appreciated by most Pakistanis. It encouraged a huge disillusioned middle class chunk of our society to come in the fore of political arena because khan was looked at as the fresh face, an untested commodity if you will. So far so good right? Wrong!

And I say that because the proof of the pudding would always have to be in the eating and unfortunately whenever the moment has come for khan to put his actions where his mouth has been in the political arena, he has failed miserably.

Fact is that He has surrounded himself with the same elite, he supposedly is on the mission to eradicate. In words of animated journalist sohail warraich ‘Kya yeahh khulla taayyzaad nahi hay?’.

This is why KHAN’ politics now have more contradictions than one has the patience for. Nowhere these dichotomies were screaming more than on the stage of PTI multan jalsa. I don’t blame Imran Khan or PTI exclusively for the accident but can Khan not see how absolutely callous (and I will venture to use the word barbaric,) it looks when dead bodies are being lifted like they are inane objects smack in front the eyes of the entire PTI leadership and they couldn’t care less. DJ butt to his credit begs them ‘please shut the hell up for a moment and give a damn about the severity of the situation’.

Qibla-0-Kaba LORD Hazrat MAKHDOOM Shah Mehmood Qureshi in all his pomp and glory brushes the lump bodies of kummi kameen aside and orders the concert to go on. I swear if these visuals were captured in an MQM or ANP event, the gheyrat brigade primarily comprising of aqle-kul anchors would have ranted and raved for days on at the catastrophe. Altaf Hussein and batcha khan would have been personally held responsible for the murders and call would be to hang them in public square, despite the fact that batcha khan is already resting in peace.

I know I sound a bit unhinged but the favoritism and double standards of mostly Punjabi intelligentsia is exhausting and then they innocently wonder why baloch’ are not so hot on the concept Pakistan anymore.

We as a people also deserve a lot of this blame for accidents of this nature. I don’t quite get what the rush is? You have spent 4 hours being part of an event, whats another 15 minutes?

You witness this same psychosis in air travel. Everyone is on best behavior until the vessel enters the boundaries of sarzameen-e-pak. All hell breaks loose and the same people who have been flying for 15 hrs, all of a sudden cant wait another 3 minutes so the damn thing can land and park itself. Where are we rushing to anyway? What is this anxiety and restlessness as a nation? I am not one of those people who blame the people of Pakistan for ills of the system.

I think its unfair to confuse illness with symptoms. The rulers and the elite hoarding 99% resources for the 1% and the 99% of goalaaz adding a bit of water in milk is not on par with each other. Former is the actual problem; latter is the logical manifestation of corruption and moral bankruptcy of elite, which stems from the top 1%.

But for your own sake people, play the odds. It’s not worth it to put your safety on stake to save 15-20 minutes. Believe me you guys have nothing better to do. Stay put!

Muslim league Nawaz, PPP and civil and military elite should also realize that this is not the Pakistan of 1990’. Because of media and to a certain degree the higher judiciary, the kummi kameen majority of the country will increasingly ask more and more uncomfortable questions. The more of the same cannot work for perpetuity and elite must share the golden eggs being laid by the golden goose that is Pakistan.

Don’t share all the eggs but for your own sake realize that you guys are the ones who have the most to loose, have-nots have nothing by definition..so please shape up!

Hold the local bodies elections already. Depoliticize the election commission. Bring parity between haves and not have-nots, not in an absolute manner but at least extend meaning full gestures by spending more on public welfare. When you hold the longest sessions of parliaments and not a single bill for public welfare and every single second is spent on hue and cry on how someone is after your cheese, then it looks royally bad..and I say that as a supporter of democracy and as someone who is against ouster of this government thru mob pressure.

I say this with pain that KHAN is another opportunity squandered. At least till now. He needs to go back to the basics. Surround himself with common folk and old party loyalist, not tareens and roedad khans of the world.

He has a canvas available in KPK. Draw a beautiful picture of Pakistan there. And as a karachiite, I want to say that don’t stand with those who are against fairness, just because you don’t like MQM. Smaller Administrative units are need of the hour for entire Pakistan and KHAN you agree, then why is Karachi special? We the karachiites are less interested in political gimmickry and more interested in who will raise voice for the rightful share of Karachi.

PPP and the rural elite of Sindh has lorded over sind and specifically Karachi now for more than 7 years. Don’t take my word for it, Take a stroll or talk to a genuine sindhi journalist and if they have shred of honesty in them, they will draw a fair parallel of Karachi under mqm in early to mid 2000 and Karachi in last 7 years.

Zaban-e-khalq ko naqar-e-khuda samjho.