A Nation in a Roller Coaster

Looking at Pakistan while sitting abroad is nothing but an image of awe, horror and frustration.  It reminds one of the horrors of an unwilling child sitting next to an elder, full of excitement, during the down slide of a fast moving roller coaster. Take the whole nation of common people as that child and the coterie of top notch power brokers – be they politicians, khakis, judges, journalists, etc. – as the enthusiastic elder. The child is terrified to the core, hoping against the hope, waiting for the ride to come to an end. Worse,  his prayers for the upward turn of the ride – at least for the moment – to mitigate his agony for a short period of time seem to go unheard.

The slide is getting steeper. Democracy or no democracy, who cares about the people. the debates are on – among the fire brand or placid – the ‘so called’ intellectuals gracing the TV screens. Alas! All intellect has boiled down to the limits of the ‘idiot box’. I have never understood the significance true meaning of this rather idiosyncratic expression until of late.

The whole fuss is all about the question that should we continue with this ‘democracy’ or go for an alternate solution. Some vouch for this ‘democracy’ to be given more time. Others, while trying to steer clear of being branded as the advocates of martial law, are looking for an out of the box solution. Out of this divide, is the lot with beards and ‘amamas’ who, generally, due to their sheer appearance and out look fail to get that much space on TV except for getting some fatwas on complicated and hitherto most hotly debated controversial sharia issues. On the streets, they demand the revival of ‘khilafat’ not only in spirit but letter, too – with all its costumes and culture.

See, in this discussion, I also for got that the child is terrified. His sobs of anguish have turned into screams of anguish. The elder takes these screams as the cries of excitement. His adrenaline is on the high. It flows with even greater velocity with yet another steep recession. He is enjoying to the hilt.

What about the child. To his horror, he is tightly belted to his place with the stings of law and fear of punishment which are reserved for him only. He wants to break free. Or not. Or he wants the ride to stop. Perhaps the elder has paid for the ticket to last for eternity. The blocked mind of the child is fast thinking for the last option – no matter it may cost his life. Jump out of the ride.