The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has turned into the land of the darbaris (courtiers), into ‘Darbaristan’. Political leaders make tall promises to the nation. but once in the corridors of power get trapped by these ‘Parasites of Powe ‘ (POP) who are driven by survival instincts. These lethal beings have special skills to please the boss and then surround him or her. Some of them always remain in power while others remain loyal to the party leadership.
Party jumpers were hit hard by the recent Supreme Court decision when 20 ‘Lota ‘ (turncoats) lost their seats in the Punjab Assembly. In the re-elections that followed, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was able to grab back15 seats which resulted in the collapse of the Hamza Shahbaz government. The largest province of the country is now back with PTI while the imposed federal coalition government finds itself cornered. Thr “Sab Theek Hai ” (all is well) mantra seems to have lost its shine after a long time which augurs well for the much-needed change.
When Ayub Khan, the first usurper and ‘International Darbari’ was toppled by his Army Chief Gen Yahya Khan, the Darbaris of the Ayub ‘Court’ started praising the new boss. Qudrutullah Shahab Sahib was the Principal Secretary to the President at that time, like Azam Khan was to Imran Khan during his recent regime.
Principal Secretary to the Prime Minster (PSPM) is a key player in the administrative set-up. The exploits of Azam Khan as PSPM are now being exposed. In order to improve delivery in his next stint in power, Imran Khan should appoint a better person to run the PM Secretariat. Shahab Sahib, a very respected bureaucra,t refused to serve under the new ‘King’. Before he left the ‘cour’t, he warned the General that these very courtiers till the day before were heaping the same praises on the now deposed ‘ King ‘. By not getting rid of the dirt by making a fresh start, the second usurper was trapped from day one.
Everyone seemed excited about the induction of Javed Hashmi and Shah Mahmood Qureshi. When I could take it no longer, I posed a simple question; ” What cabinets have they been a part of? ” There was no answer, only silence. I was then reminded of a famous saying of Einstein; “We cannot solve the problems with the help of the people who created them.”
In a world driven by technology, Continuous Improvement (CI) is the way forward, as only change is permanent for which new players are needed. In the words of Allama Iqbal; ” Hazar au mujid sey bezar karay ” (Not being satisfied by the status-quo). Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was able to deliver change and good governance due to his fresh players, not the old and failed lot who were part of the problem.
The current decline that started with Gen Ziaul-Haq, the third usurper, continues unabated as the Darbaris remain unchanged. In the social media several posts appear that compare the cabinet members of the fourth dictator with the ones that followed; unfortunately many faces remain common till today
Like ZAB, IK started off well. While ZAB was trapped by the Darbaris after a few years in power (by 1975) IK was not that lucky. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) reached its political peak in the Lahore Jalsa of 30 October 2011 with the help of new players. the ‘comrades of change’ who could deliver the Haqiqi Azadi that IK is now fighting for. By the next big show of power on 25 December, 2011 only 56 days later at the Mazar-e-Quaid, the same old Darbaris had surrounded the ‘Crusader of Change’. For Javed Hashmi there were loud chants of “Baghi Baghi which I could not digest.
After the rally, Comrade Ahsan Rashid had arranged a lavish dinner at the Sheraton Hotel where the old PTI ideologues shared bread with the new ‘Electables’ (Seasoned Darbaris) who were now assigned to lead the charge. Everyone seemed excited about the induction of Javed Hashmi and Shah Mahmood Qureshi. When I could take it no longer, I posed a simple question; ” What cabinets have they been a part of? ” There was no answer, only silence. I was then reminded of a famous saying of Einstein; “We cannot solve the problems with the help of the people who created them.”
Comrade Hanif Ramay, the great orator, had a clear distinction between the terms; “Mard-e-Burhan and ” Madar-e-Burhan ” (Those who create crieis and those who solve them). Unfortunately, in the land of the pure this distinction, ‘Mard vs Mada ‘ does not exist today, which is why the crises remain unresolved. Individuals who manage to reach the corridors of power through ‘ TC ‘ (Shoe Shining) are either incompetent or corrupt, merit is seriously compromised right under the nose of the President and PM.
The message should be understood loud and clear: “Darbaris cannot deliver”. They can only provide a short term lull before the storm comes with its devastation like the floods that we are under today. Pakistan is back in stormy weather and will remain there till the exit of the pleasing the- boss and do-nothing ‘courtiers’. The nation awaits ‘ Mard-e-Burhan’ to be in the saddle without the traditional all-weather darbaris. Climate change has hit the republic hard. Storms are now routine for which ‘ Merry-Weather’ players are now obsolete. The slide cannot be reveresed unless these non-performing courtiers are shown the door.
