The missing variable |
PAKISTAN’S history goes around in circles, it is said repeatedly, these days. It has easily become the most popular analysis presented on the talk shows, so much so that the Urdu phrase, daiyron ka safar, has become rather familiar. For every incident in the present, there is one from the past to suggest that this is how Pakistan rolls.
If the PTI complains about human rights now, the PPP will remember events from the Zia era when it was under fire. When asked about the mess around us now, those in government want to know why they had suffered the brunt of the state’s wrath in 2018 without any support from those who today want to speak up for the PTI.
In Pakistan, it is always the worst of times for those who are in the opposition and the best of times for those in power. It’s a circle, ain’t it?
But in this game of going round and round, the politicos do not just dance around repression but also the notion of negotiations. What is known on television talk shows as muzakaraat and mufahimat.
The ruling elite may be sitting pretty but their biggest worry is the economy.
And this appears to be popular these days. Just on the weekend, it was much mentioned in public speeches by the government as well as the opposition. It came up for discussion during an event held to commemorate the death of Khawaja Rafique, the father of PML-N stalwart Saad Rafique.
And in Islamabad, the two-day event by the opposition alliance, TTAP, also