Every country has a social disposition and collective memory. While some tribes are peace-loving by nature, others are belligerent. Some are very generous, while others are quite frugal. The tribes’ memories are also distinct from one another. While some ethnic groups lack any kind of communal memory, others not only save all the important details of their history in their recollections. Everything relies on how interested a country is in reading. Readers have always found studying global history to be fascinating. Because people have an enduring curiosity in the past. No wonder grandmothers tell stories to their grandchildren.
By engaging in intellectual conversation at any gathering, one can gauge the level of interest among attendees. If there are twenty or so individuals present, you will consider yourself fortunate if five of them show any interest in the subject. But if, at the same meeting, you change the subject to historical events, even if they concern your own life, all the attendees’ eyes will instantly light up and they will join the conversation. When I started using social media in 2014, I used the aforementioned technique to gain followers. As a result, the readers always responded with keen curiosity whenever I would tell a story from my eventful life.
Every coin, as you know, has two sides. So, you always find contradictory opinions on any given subject. Thus, when the reader’s opinion is in conflict with yours, there may be an emotional response. This emotional response is always useful for the writer. If the writer continues to exploit people’s emotions, usually, the subject is compelled to have a strong reaction. Consequently, in today’s social media-driven world, the subject reacts against the writer on his own Facebook or Twitter, which leads many people, who may not have heard your name before, toward your account. I employed this strategy between 2014 and 2017 to increase my following. And the funny thing is you don’t have much to do, just weave an inflammatory tale about a group of people, they will react which ultimately gives you clout on social media.
If you give it some thought, you can see that people’s intense interest in history is what led to these outcomes. Our collective memory is zero. The reason is that the majority of the people don’t read books and books are the only source for history. Since entertainment is all that interests people, even if the amusement is political, people gravitate toward it. While this situation is detrimental for the public, it is very advantageous for politicians. Have you ever noticed that if a minister in a government is accused of engaging in a lot of corruption during his term in office, he immediately begins to maintain a low profile as soon as the government ends? Consider the former minister Khosro Bakhtiar as an example. His allegations of corruption were once often debated. But have you noticed him after the Imran government’s fall? Did he make an effort to take part in Imran Khan’s narrative battle?
The question is, did Khosrow Bakhtiar leave politics? No, he’s just preying on people’s frail memories. They are aware that those involved in daily politics are given attention by the media and political workers. The corruption allegations are therefore gradually being forgotten after maintaining a low profile for a while. Therefore, no one pays attention when, a few years later, this same individual returns to the scene and the media tries to remind us that such and such claims were made four years prior. Sometimes, even the leaders of political parties use this tactic.
For instance, Asif Ali Zardari was the focus of the establishment since he was Pakistan’s president. Under the guise of the Charter of Democracy, he grew close to the PML-N after his presidential term concluded. The establishment was well aware of Zardari’s crucial contribution to ending PTI’s sit-in against Nawaz Sharif. As a result, the establishment had Rangers trapped him in Sindh. Do you recall Dr. Asim Hussain’s corruption cases involving 500 billion rupees? Moreover, he was charged for providing 330 terrorists with medical care. Both Dr. Asim Hussain’s corruption charges and the proceedings involving the medical treatment of terrorists were put on hold as soon as President Zardari departed the scene and Nawaz Sharif was left alone. And the PPP experienced a calmer environment. The important thing to remember is that it only happened because Zardari disappeared from the scene.
Remember that the establishment does not share your desire to eradicate corruption. It employs all available strategies to uphold its dominance in the political game. Politicians do, in fact, commit corruption, although not to the same extent as being talked about. If you make a key list of some of the well-known claims of corruption, you will notice two things very clearly; the first is that these allegations must have come from sources that are regarded as being close to the establishment. Puppet media as well as puppet politicians are the ones always making these accusations. Another point is that when the targeted politician gives up, these accusations not only stop being reported in the media, but the judges, who used to hear these cases on a daily basis, also seem to forget about them. Take Nawaz Sharif as an example. As soon as he retreated under the platelets scheme, the atmosphere calmed down. In today’s ground realities, Nawaz Sharif has become a necessity for the establishment. And through the same judicial system that found him guilty, the establishment will grant him a clean slate. Patwaris will thereafter refer to it as the great justice. In truth, everything about this—from the accusations to the convictions—is a con. Because those who condemned him knew it was just a phase, they made up justifications for his exoneration at the time of the trial. For instance, to exonerate Sharif, the judge may claim that the case was about Panama when Sharif was being punished for “Iqama”. And Pakistani political workers will hail the verdict without realizing that this dialogue is only uttered when the establishment wanted to hear it.
This cooked game of politics will continue like this as the establishment has also assumed a role of the regulator. It desires that this game proceeds as per directions. When someone doesn’t understand the signals, then they bring the law into motion to teach him a lesson. But you must admit that our establishment is rather “tenderhearted.” It doesn’t bother the one who takes a step back. It sends a message to wait patiently for your next term. That’s the basic demand from Imran Khan telling him to go into solitude. He’s just not accepting the demand right now and insisting on the 10-year project, which means soon a court verdict will appear to punish him for not understanding. But it is guaranteed whenever the establishment becomes bored, it will give Khan Sahib the go-ahead once more, saying that realization of dreams comes in installments. Thus, it is now time for your subsequent prize. The non-interventionists will remain steadfast in their decision of non-intervention until stains on their uniforms fade away. The “National interest” catchphrase is quite powerful because the nation’s memory is relatively frail. Youthiye ought to take a deep breath and wait for the subsequent “National interest” crossroads. I can assure you that time will come.
