Romance seems to be the flavour of the past two months. No not the Cupidy February 14th type romance, but romancing the ‘revolution’ that is. The uprisings (sorry I wouldn’t classify them as ‘revolutions’ since the old order is still very much in place in Tunisia and Egypt) in the Middle East seems to be contagious. Our urban, educated, middle class, and employed (ok may be sometimes under and over-employed, but employed nevertheless) youth has been especially susceptible to this virus. If twitter and facebook is anything to go by then they are dying (metaphorically) to revolutionize Pakistan under the ‘heroic leadership’ of Imran Khan. Borrowing from the ‘Godless’ Karl Marx, this bourgeoisie class of ours carries blackberry phones (I-phone if you prefer), dines at modern and trendy cafes’, and may be not them but their parents owns private properties, house being of primary importance. In short, a class often classified as the future of Pakistan (and here I was thinking that it was Bilawal Bhutto, Hamza Shahbaz and Moonis Elahi, how dumb of me!). There definition of revolution; opposite of whatever that rules today. But have they ever wondered what this ‘revolution’ might mean to them!
Let’s imagine that we go Bolshevik! Remember Dr. Zhivago the movie! It may be a fine work of fiction as most movies are but it has very clear and poignant message for our bourgeoisie class; sacrificing self interest for the welfare of the whole society. Imagine your servant or driver and his/her family barges into your home and make it there own and there is nothing you can do about it. The concept of private property ownership simply disappears out of thin air. The state is not willing to do anything since it was in your servant’s name the revolution took place in the first. Then what would we do? Sharing isn’t exactly our national trait or is it? What was it, how many of us share our wealth with our less fortunate brethren in the form of taxes? And what would be the reaction of my blackberry carrying friend, whose dad owns, oops, used to own a factory! The factory is now owned by the labour union which used to toil there before.
Or better yet we go down Ayatollah style! And which Islam would you prefer please; Deobandi or Barelvi? With the former you have the potbellied Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman and with later the socialist turned Godly Munawar Hasan. Or would you prefer a rainbow alliance of various factions of Al-Qaeda inspired and supported Pakistani Taliban! Well kiss goodbye to the cafes and fancy phones already because both are inventions of the ungodly West. Remember in Iran they are almost all Shias’, so it was rather easy for them to accept a fellow traveler as their messiah, not the case here though. Here the bourgeoisie would have to accept one maulvi or the other, whether they likes it or not. But you know Iran could have very well turned out to be the Socialist Republic of Iran had the communists of Tudeh Party not been outsmarted by the Ayatollah and his comrades. And would you be happy Mr. Punjabi and Mr. Pathan that the ‘revolutionary’ Islamic regime is out to get your father, or uncle or friend’s uncle who was a high up in pre-revolutionary Pakistani military! Scores of Shah’s trusted lieutenants were ‘sorted out’ by the Ayatollah’s regime, who either couldn’t or wouldn’t leave Iran, after the Shah fled. The Islamic revolution certainly stung them bad. And how many Iranians today, if they were to do it all over again, welcome the Ayatollahs? That I leave for you.
I would deliberately refrain from drawing parallels between our society and the possible impact of 1789s French revolution on it since in the words of the great Chinese revolutionary Zhou Enlai “It is too soon to say.”
Point is, when a revolution does occur, the social order which has been woven so carefully over centuries goes topsy turvy. The country is suddenly up for grabs and for a certain class the ‘revolution’ becomes a zero sum game. Revolutionizing Pakistan may very well be the empowerment of your servant over you or the other sect over yours. Would that be acceptable to you? To make Pakistan a better place is one thing, defining what is ‘better’ for us and knowing its fallout another and, most important. Instead of venturing into the unknown, it would be better if this class does something unprecedented; vote. Change the existing system from within by being part of it, rather than rocking the boat from outside.
Beware what you wish for this land of the Pure!
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