The way forward to get Pakistan out of its existing turmoil, for me, needs to be inevitably answered. But I am astonishingly confronted with the reality that the quest or pursuit to achieve it is so grossly unfocused.
What prompted me to pen down these thoughts was a dinner I attended amidst notable personalities from politics and the legal fraternity on Saturday, August 10. The dinner was hosted by Imtiaz Rasheed Siddiqi, Advocate Supreme Court, at his chambers. I could not resist his invitation, being my senior as a lawyer. Before the invitation, Munir Ahmad Khan, a politician and a lawyer, informed me via a WhatsApp message that political leaders, including Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai and former National Assembly Speaker and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser, would be among the guests, and that I must attend the dinner.
I had already been approached by him and some others to prepare a petition under Article 184(3) of the Constitution on behalf of Tehreek Tahafuz-e-Aain (Constitution Protection Movement) for restraining the legislature from amending the Constitution unless allegations surrounding Form-47 are investigated. Though the petition was prepared, it was not filed in the absence of a go-ahead. I hoped to learn the reason for it and a way forward from the political leaders, particularly Achakzai sahib, who reportedly had been bestowed with a mandate by the founder of PTI (Imran Khan), for bringing all the stakeholders on the table for a solution to get Pakistan out of the political and economic mess.
Most attendees of the dinner were either PTI members or its supporters. Khawaja Tariq Rahim, without allowing the host to utter welcoming words and the purpose of the meeting, took charge and asked Asad Qaiser and Achakzai sahib to tell us about the crisis in their respective provinces, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Asad Qaiser's narration of the situation was already known, and he concluded that the outraged youth could be harnessed only by Imran Khan. Achakzai sahib pleaded Balochistan's case very well; the facts he narrated were new to me, and helped in understanding the mindset of Balochistan's youth, in particular. He consumed so much time that dinner was called. Meanwhile, Imtiaz Rasheed Siddiqui - the host - consistently interrupted him by asking, "What is the way forward?".
Almost every participant narrated past stories of their contributions and importance
Alas, no one offered any idea on a way forward to drag Pakistan out of its existing turmoil. Almost every participant narrated past stories of their contributions and importance. The dinner ended with Asad Qaiser's request to highlight 'Haqqiqi Azadi' while celebrating Independence Day.
To focus on a solution, every stakeholder and person who matters has to minus themselves, be that self-projection, political gains, regional interests, or personal egos. It seems no one is focused enough to suggest a solution, and hence, the issue finds itself pushed way down in the priority list.
No one is greater than Pakistan's existence and its prosperity, and the spirit can be found in Iftikhar Arif's couplet:
meri zameen mera aakhri hawala hai
so mein rahu'n na rahu'n is ko barwar kar de
mein apne khwab se kat kar jioon to mere khuda
ujaar de meri matti ko dar badar kar de