This seems like the effect of spices; either our DNA is different or our blood tends to boil more. In most countries, people smile at each other; if a mistake occurs, they apologize and forget by saying sorry. On the other hand, we are always ready for a fight; even a slight issue makes us roll up our sleeves, our eyes turn red, obscenities start coming out of our mouths, and we engage in verbal and physical fights.
We are experts at ruining the atmosphere by firing shots during celebrations or arguing during music shows to express our sorrow, pain, and distress. While we have a hundred rituals for celebrating joy, on occasions like Eid or Shab-e-Barat, besides sleeping and eating, we have no other pastime.
Our anger and fights have spread from homes to offices, institutions, and politics. As much as we are skilled at getting angry and fighting, we are equally incapable of reconciling and managing affairs peacefully.
Our business partnerships fail; there is politics against each other in offices, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law quarrels have been going on for centuries in our homes.
While the Western world has found correct or incorrect solutions to all these issues, when there is a quarrel between siblings, we cannot reconcile; they keep litigating for years without resolving matters.
We are successful individually, but we fail when it comes to working in groups; family feuds continue for decades, and numerous individuals become victims of these bloody feuds, causing losses to both sides, but they are not willing to compromise for peace.
A study of history reveals that the people of the subcontinent have a chronic disease: they know the etiquette of fighting but not conflict resolution. The Mughals used to fight wars over succession, while the British royal family had decided that whether it was a daughter or son, the eldest child would be the heir.
We could never adopt the principles of peace and reconciliation. When the British made India their colony, neither Muslims nor Hindus had a formula for how to achieve independence, or how the Hindu-Muslim conflict would be resolved.
In my flawed opinion, if Gandhi, Nehru, and our Muslim leaders like Iqbal and Jinnah hadn’t gone to Europe for education, we would still be slaves today. They learned conflict resolution from Europe. What Gandhi and Nehru wanted, a Congress government over all of India, could not be achieved.
Similarly, what the Quaid-e-Azam wanted could not be achieved, and hence, he had to settle for a divided Pakistan. Conflict resolution happens when neither party gets everything they want. This concept eludes the people of the subcontinent; hence, the Indo-Pak conflict remains unresolved because both sides want solutions according to their own desires, which are unacceptable to the other party.
The subcontinent needs individuals who understand conflict resolution; we need new Gandhis and Jinnahs. But unfortunately, on one side, there is a confrontational attitude, and on the other side, we also exhibit the same behavior. Until flexibility is born, issues cannot be resolved.
Today’s Pakistani politics is engulfed in the same fighting, quarrels, and anger. It seems like there is a complete political deadlock. On one side is PTI, which is not ready to apologize for the events of May 9th and announce exoneration, and on the other side is the establishment, which is not ready to heal the wounds of May 9th.
If there is no flexibility in both parties, the deadlock will continue to escalate. In my personal opinion, political parties should not adopt a policy of violence, and if there is any mistake in this regard, it should be immediately disowned. PTI didn’t do this, but it’s a popular political party, ignoring it and descending below the mainstream will not be in the national interest.
As a student of politics, I believe that the key to this deadlock or political crisis is solely and solely the parliament. Both the government and the opposition are present in the parliament. Whether they like it or not, they have to meet each other daily to discuss agendas and other matters.
The parliament should be turned into a platform for negotiations; a joint parliamentary committee can be formed to address the complaints of PTI regarding the elections. The seats on which PTI has raised objections at the Election Commission, a joint parliamentary committee can be formed for those seats so that the matter can be resolved in an amicable manner. If possible, Maulana Fazlur Rehman should be made the head of this committee so that this issue can be resolved in a reassuring manner.
I have mentioned the shortcomings of our society, one of which is also the refusal to admit our mistakes. If the players in politics have pushed Mahmood Khan Achakzai forward for their own struggle, they should also acknowledge the excesses committed against the media, judiciary, and opposition.
During their tenure, the media was economically crippled, every criticizing journalist was trolled, and women were abused. Today, those very journalists are protesting against the injustices done with Imran, but PTI has not yet succeeded in apologizing for past mistakes from its platform and must also muster the courage to accept criticism.
The situation is such that if any anchor or journalist says a single sentence against PTI, they are labeled, and if you praise them, they are turned into heroes from zeroes. This attitude is not democratic but fascist.
If the PTI is going through a tough time, then not only should the party leader adopt democratic principles, but also educate their blind followers that tolerating differences of opinion is necessary in a democratic society.
Finally, it is recommended to punish those involved in the events of May 9th, but a different approach should be taken with the millions of voters. Those who deserve punishment for starting the fire are those who have won through the electoral process; they should accept it and, with a big heart, also seek forgiveness for past mistakes.
Whoever has conspired or started the fire should be made an example of, and the blind devotees of simple faith should also be punished, but remember that they have been killed in ignorance of the planning…
Note: This is the translation of his Urdu column published in Jang
