Being Political!

Our youth are being led astray into believing that Pakistan is constantly in crisis—both internally and externally—and that we are always going through some sort of existential crisis for a multitude of reasons. The contemporary apolitical movement, which sees a lack of interest in or comprehension of politics as a proof of seriousness, intelligence, grandeur, etc., is one of the numerous causes contributing to these preconceived fallacies. This is due to the state apparatus effectively severing the common man’s political soul, transforming him into a managed zombie, or a mound of corpses.

To illustrate, one of the many strategies they use to do this, For instance, is to keep a steady supply of surface drugs, such as entertainment, The modern equivalent of the Roman “circus games”, which diverts public attention away from politics and fosters political apathy, therefore, allowing the status quo to persist. This entertainment is provided via television programs that depict historical figures, events, and Neo-nationalistic dramas which are endorsed by the state’s numerous top leaderships to instill a sense of blind patriotism and debase the general populace. Another example is how media-produced, overly-hyped sports broadcasts cause people to lose sight of matters that are genuinely important to them and have a direct impact on their lives. Also, another tactic that has the same effect as those mentioned above is religio-nationalism. Religio-nationalism is a farce that is sold by almost all political parties regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum.

Therefore, these politicians and their far-fetched speeches are not only believed to be true by the general public but their entire reality is shaped around these fictitious tales. As a result, we have an arrogant and ignorant populace that is petrified, dogmatic, and delusional, which lacks not only critical thinking but also common sense. As a result of these and other similar methods, the government has created minnows for future consumption in both practice and ideology, effectively turning compliance into a virtue and thinking into a vice.

The sad reality is that many of Pakistan’s successful politicians are shameless liars, which reflects not only on them but also on us. When people want the impossible, only liars can deliver.

But, lately, I’ve noticed a sudden shift in these apolitical’ interest from sensationalist broadcasts and improbable fictitious television series to political discourse. Don’t get me wrong; I’m glad that our country is finally becoming more politically aware and dipping its toes into the lake of reality by observing the world as it is rather than as these demagogues portray it to us. However, this abrupt transition is being guided and interpreted incorrectly in the same way that mass mobilization against the status quo has always been. For instance, the rise of the public against the status quo led to the ascent to the power of Hitler and Napoleon in Germany and France, respectively.

Thus, similar developments can be observed in Pakistan’s current political landscape, Conspiracy theories are emerging in Pakistan as populist state players seize the initiative and use the political upheaval for their ends. Pakistan is trailing other nations on the international stage as a result of these opportunistic state actors and propagandist policies. As a result, these “politicians” are not statesmen; they lack even the most basic concepts of how to administer a government. They just care about becoming involved in politics and making inflammatory statements about one another. In essence, they will market to the general public any good or service that will enable them to maintain their positions of power.

Thus, the nation has experienced significant political turmoil and economic decline during the past six months, resulting from the incompetence of the government’s top officials, politicians, or the establishment. The struggle between the major political forces, including the establishment, PTI, PPP, and PMLN, has reached a boiling point in the political landscape. Our people are in a desperate state as a result of rising costs, unemployment, disease, and a lack of development in all key social sectors. Meanwhile, amidst all of this chaos, Imran Khan’s PTI began a propaganda campaign to frame itself as an “anti-imperialist party” that was resisting the powerful nations that wanted to rule Pakistan, and this disinformation is becoming so extreme that some individuals are now alluding to IK as Pakistan’s own Che Guevara., don’t laugh. Hence, The ongoing political power struggle benefits no one in the nation; in fact, it has done more damage than good to the stability of the nation as a whole, and therefore, we must recognize that these political forces don’t exist to fix the contemporary problems; rather, they exist to engage in the “blame game” to accomplish their objectives, deceive the public into accepting their false narratives, and further their political ambitions.

Thus, we must carefully discern between our allies and enemies as we become more politically aware and active to take advantage of this opportunity to dispose of this parody of a system (politicians, the establishment, and the economic structure) as promptly as possible and help make this wonderful nation prosper and advance on the international stage.

about the writer:

The writer is a student at University of Balochistan and have interest in History, regional politics and philosophy. He can be reached at: rizwan@seventick.com