Like much of the world, Pakistani society has also been polarized along the political fault lines for as long as we allow ourselves recollection. It has only been a matter of the degree of polarization. We can easily recall frequent scuffles and even large scale protest movements against political opponents from time to time. Yet, it was rare that the leaders would personally spearhead persistent campaigns of name calling and vengeful trashing of their political opponents to a point of no return. Street-level die-hard fanatics have always taken pleasure out of coarse language and dirty jokes about the their political opponents, which at times, the middle cadres and even the senior leadership in various political parties did let skip by, but never did they ignite or fan such culture demeaning language directly. Imran Khan, on the other hand, built his campaign of ‘awakening’ on the foundation of name calling and direct personal attacks from the pulpit of that container almost four years ago. He was successful in upending the established political dynasties though while declaring himself the ultimate bearer of truth and righteousness. His campaign did bring down the order of what was mostly ‘known’ in the political life of Pakistanis for generations. But in doing so, he also brought down the social values for verifiable facts, respect for truth, and the right of innocence until proven guilty, among many others. He was able to weave hearsay and innuendo mainstream in the social and political fabric of Pakistani society. He not only sanctioned libel, defamation, and character assassination of all the political opponents, he fanned it further while believing in his own self righteousness.
He did achieve a parliamentary majority in 2018, but more people in the country voted against him than those who voted for him in the same elections. The flame of personal attacks that he once ignited has since caught wind from all sides and now the entire society is engulfed in the blaze of name calling and personal attacks. In the past, political leaders in spite of their differences would seek ways to sit down with each other and at least give a pretense of healing after bitter political fights and the masses would look forward to the next phase of campaigning in the usual 4-5 year election cycle. But this time around, it seems different. What he started less than a year after the previous Nawaz Sharif tenure and then continued for four years is repeating itself in the form of the recent mass campaign that Moulana Fazl-u-Rehman is spearheading and which has a tacit and explicit blessings from almost all the major political parties. He would even forgo the cultural traditions of paying courtesies at the deaths and funerals of his political opponents, making him seem incapable of leading any healing of this injured nation. What Moulana started will only perpetuate this cycle of intolerance and self ingratiation. This tit-for-tat show of force, especially in our almost evenly-distributed political diaspora is only going to result in an unending musical chair of power politics.
So, what’s the solution in this situation? Since all politicking in Pakistan is too subjective where personal feelings and egos outweigh any need to see order at the national stage, it’s time to reset the methods of opposing our political opponents. It’s time to demand a truth and reconciliation commission, on the lines of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). It took seven years for South Africa’s TRC under Desmond Tutu to complete its work, yet it was able to expedite the process of healing in that race-divided apartheid society. It was able to provide a stage where the wrongs were acknowledged and the rights were accepted. This offered a forum for face savings, rude awakenings, confronting the perpetrators, and the feelings of restitution of the aggrieved. In the end, the society moved forward and normalcy started to appear. We, as a nation so divided, need such a public forum of truth and reconciliation to bring our nation back on track of accepting our differences and let others play when it’s their turn. Towards this end, at such a forum, the opposition must agree to let Imran Khan’s government complete its constitutional tenure, in return for acknowledgements of the falsehoods spread and apologies for personal attacks from both sides of the political divide. A public display of remorse and self reflection by their leaders will promote self restraint and tolerance among masses that is fast eroding from our society. The combined opposition is in a position to offer stability of letting Imran’s government work for four years in return for Imran Khan’s participation in such a truth and reconciliation commission. The composition of such a commission could be based on the number of parliamentary seats gained by each political party. There ought to be no consequences or punishments awarded from this commission, only admissions of excesses and of verified falsehoods by all those in question. This commission should have the authority to call upon national leaders of all the political parties for questioning and acknowledgement of their role in the heightened state of political anxiety in the country. Failure to admit unsubstantiated accusations and libel by any party should automatically result in the right to mass protests by the opposition or the government, in addition to speedy proceedings under the libel laws by another independent judicial libel or anti-defamation commission.
This mechanism has been tried and tested in one of the most contentious of conflicts in modern history. It should serve us well. We can even seek technical guidance from the still surviving members of the TRC in South Africa.
