Game of Throes

If we put Pakistan’s politics into the metaphor of a screenplay and attempt to determine the plot structure, there is 100% certitude that nobody would be able to ascertain whether it is a suspense thriller, horror, historical drama, mystery or a comedy. And much to the nation’s chagrin (that is constantly lost in comprehension), there are so many actors and yet it is challenging to settle on who the protagonist is. Or for that matter who appears to be the antihero.

Time and again, these so-called actors keep re-casting themselves in the same act (repeatedly and incessantly) and continue ad nauseam. But the people have been conveniently obdurate almost every time, to acknowledge and applaud to their performances. 

And as they say, ‘the show must go on’, these actors never seem to have enough of their fill. At times, they take the form of the mulishly obstinate Sharif Dynasty, sometimes that of the infamous but accidental Zardari’s Legacy-led Empire, on occasion the mighty martial law dominion, erratically the ever-vying ‘lusting-after-the-throne’ religious radicals, the U-turns and the PNRs (point-of-no-returns).

As easy as it may sound Pakistan has ceaselessly been bruised and battered by these fine actors for the past 70 years and notwithstanding the deception and atrocities, the people of Pakistan (the spectators) have grown susceptible to whatever comes their way. 

Hence, it would essentially be safe to say that without an iota of doubt, we have turned into a truly callous nation and despite the degree of pain inflicted upon us by our rulers; we always fail to feel it. And so the game of ‘Allow > Deplore > Repeat’ continues only to carry on interminably where we allow our rulers to wreck havoc on our country, and eventually on us, by voting for them by choice or otherwise.

Once the rulers are in power, it does not take too long for us to realize and deplore that the damage has already been done and there is nothing left but utter disillusionment. Fast forward the time a little where our confidence in these tricksters starts to reassemble as they little by little beguilingly gain our trust through sympathy, approbation, pledge, deceit and the ‘ever-popular’ bouquet of false promises – and voila! 

Here we are ready to repeat this idiocy – yet again!

The structure of a play conventionally consists of five acts; prologue, conflict, rising action, falling action and the denouement. So let’s visualize Pakistan’s political scenario in this perspective.

ACT 1: PROLOGUE

This is the prelude to their perversions. In this first phase, the politicos begin to show green pastures and exert all their efforts in disseminating specious promises, hopes and dreams to the nation. After all, this is the part where they coerce us to believe them in their game of deception and this is perhaps their most favorite part indeed. Let’s have a brief look at the offerings of some of the top actors during the past two elections:

Now, whatever the ‘carrot and stick’ approach is being used by these conjurers, it always (one way or the other) seems to yield success in alluring us and making us believe them after all. But does every cloud have a silver lining? This remains to be seen by us until an individual comes into power by virtue of our own votes (or via military overthrow) and starts to deliver… or something like that!

For full article, visit: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/217066-Game-of-Throes