A thrilling day at an annual fair in Wisconsin turned into a nerve wracking ordeal for several roller coaster riders after a mechanical failure left them stranded upside down for hours. An amusement turned into a serious nightmare. The oscillating Fireball was just sliding down from its vertical loop at the Forest County Festival in Wisconsin, when it stopped unexpectedly. The hue and cry of the passengers hanging upside down from their safety harnesses for hours breaking free from the shackles of terrestrial times. In a state of learned helplessness – Having little to no control over the situation. We all want to know – Did the passengers make it to the ground?
Akin to this peculiar enjoyment of being afraid, are We – The people of Pakistan – stuck upside down, feeling vaguely uneasy in badly decorated rooms. The fleeting sensation of being an almost weightless entity, with only the pressure of a little foam triangle between you and a freefall into empty space. From there – the top- to every problem there seems to be a plausible solution. Perhaps, Azadi– a stirring ring to the word – is freedom from disease and want, liberty from subjugation and independence from all forms of exploitation. It has roused rebels, motivated poets, and inspired musicians to move into action against oppression, to throw away the shackles of convention, to break free of the constricting form and the format.
Lately here, the investigative agencies have detained many citizens appropriately arrested for engaging in violence on May 9. Many have been charged under vague and overbroad laws prohibiting rioting and creating threats to public order. Citizens are being tried under the military laws, purely as an intimidation tactic, designed to crack down on dissent by exercising fear of an institution that has never been held to account for its overreach. With a history of grossly unfair trials, including those where people have been condemned to death and executed, military courts in Pakistan are not independent courts and are specialized, purely functional, and designed to maintain discipline within the armed forces.
Any indication that the trial of civilians could be held in military courts is incompatible with Pakistan’s obligations under international human rights laws. Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Pakistan has ratified, guarantees the right to a trial before a competent, independent, and impartial tribunal established by law. Has the justice system been subverted?
The authorities have tightened control of the media. Media workers reported increased coercion, censorship and arrests of journalists. The see-saw attitude of inter-bank dollars fluctuation has left the middle class clueless about making its way through. Dependent on foreign remittances and pledges, where do we stand today?
Not to mention, let’s not mention it. From SMEs to large scale manufacturing businesses, all have come to a halt. Nevertheless, the immigration business is booming. Pakistan’s brain drain has escalated as thousands have left. And the trend shows no sign of abating more recently. The latest data indicate that nearly 700,000 people left in the first three months of the year. Salaries eaten by galloping inflation, the value of the Pakistani rupee has been plummeting.
For those of us who are scared to die in pain, but also rather scared to die in bed, what could be better than simply fainting away while hurtling through the air at 220 miles per hour? Your last conscious thought something between “I’m flying!” and “wow, my back is pressed against a truly ergonomic seat”? It sounds a lot better than this, anyway. To stem this brain, drain, we must offer our citizens a future worth staying for. I leave it to you to decide if you want to get off the rollercoaster.
The brain drain is also noticeable in the country’s health care system. Medical professionals are moving abroad in search of a better income and access to advanced medical technology. As a result, Pakistan’s already-fragile health care system is facing a shortage of staff at local hospitals. It is painful to see, but can we blame them? This is a hackneyed script, replayed over and over and over again.
Since the 1980s, the term ‘transition to democracy’ has been used to describe those processes of political change that aim to leave behind a dictatorial past, a situation of internal armed conflict or another type of radical breakdown of the political order or absence of the rule of law, and to advance toward the foundation or reconstruction of a democratic system. Speaking of a democratic system, the Constitution clearly and undoubtedly states that the election for National Assembly and Provincial assemblies would take place within 60 days of the expiry of their term, but if assemblies are dissolved before their constitutional term by the prime minister and respective chief ministers, the election would be held within 90 days.
Reading down, Article 224 also stipulates that elections would be held in 90 days and a care-taker setup would be set up with the sole objective to facilitate the ECP in holding free, fair, as well as honest, elections in accordance with the Constitution and law. But interim set-ups in both the provinces have completed their constitutional time period of 90 days. And the Constitution does not provide for continuation or extension of the period fixed for the interim set-ups. In these circumstances, can the interim set-ups be termed lawful and mustn’t they be considered ‘usurpers’ imposed by the ECP? Can the caretaker set-up with the tacit approval of a few approvers, in violation of all mandatory laws and standards of propriety, be permitted to embark upon the unchartered territories?
The centrifugal force drives the roller coaster upward, and you are literally pinned to the seat, your back pressed against the ergonomic planes of the seat so hard that your body is almost immobilized. The rest of the ride, six or five loops, proceeds with your body being numb, ensuring that the trip ends your life.
For us, Azadi is August 14th. The celebration of independence. It is a patriotic song. It is the colour green. Correct me if I’m wrong, perhaps, Azadi means no one is above or below anyone; no one is superior or inferior; no one is purer or more impure than the other.
We are far from being Azad – that is, free, as translated in a language we learnt as slaves. When no one owes anything to us, we owe billions of dollars to other states, to international financial institutions, to our own state (in evaded taxes and unpaid utility bills).
For those of us who are scared to die in pain, but also rather scared to die in bed, what could be better than simply fainting away while hurtling through the air at 220 miles per hour? Your last conscious thought something between “I’m flying!” and “wow, my back is pressed against a truly ergonomic seat”? It sounds a lot better than this, anyway. To stem this brain, drain, we must offer our citizens a future worth staying for. I leave it to you to decide if you want to get off the rollercoaster.
