'Selective Amnesia' – A National Dilemma ?

I am 22 years old. My life doesn’t revolve around politics. I have much better things to do but the fact is that i can see and listen and analyze what goes on around me. Whatever the case may be, i care for my country.

The destructive duo ?

Seeing the condition Pakistan is in right now hurts me like it hurts most of you. We read or listen to the daily news and abuse our leaders and their groups for what they are doing to ‘our’ homeland. I say ‘our’ homeland here because it’s not their homeland to be truthful. Whether its ours by choice or because we are not well off enough to fly off abroad, the fact is that we are the ones who have been living and would live our complete lives in this country and so whatever happens to it matters to us. Maybe it doesn’t matter to them that much because they would go off to their luxurious apartments in Dubai or London when their tenure is completed, or most probably when they are forced to resign because of the massive destruction they do in their reign. The question i ask myself everyday is, Who gave them the chance to wreck Pakistan?

The answer obviously everyone knows, that its us who voted for them. Be it the Bhuttos or the Sharifs or whoever else. We vote for them. We bring them to power and we chose the wrong person every time because our nation has a condition called ‘Selective Amnesia’ and why i say this?, let’s start from 1988.

Before 1988, in the course of Pakistan’s political journey some notable events included the hanging of Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto, numerous Martial Laws and killings. In 1988 President Zia-ul-Haq was killed in a plane crash near Bahawalpur. The word ‘Assasinated’ floated on the scene. This resulted in the General Elections of 1988, which Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won with a considerable lead over a union of eight political parties of Pakistan named as Islamic Jamhori Itehad. Note the fact that Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto was hanged in 1979 and these were the first elections after his death. Something familiar you have witnessed recently? These elections led to the start of the our generation’s politicians’ era.

Benazir became the first woman prime minister of Pakistan in 1988. She was hailed by all as the successor of Z.A.Bhutto. Only a year passed and a no confidence movement was initiated against Benazir which failed. She had the whole country on her side. But only 9 months later President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dissolved the National assembly and  Benazir’s time was over. This weak and uninterested nation did not feel the need to do anything. I spot a national dilemma here, which our nation suffers from right from the time we got independence. We tend to forget or overlook things that our leaders do. Wrong things, against the well being of ‘our’ country. We overlook these things so that we don’t have to do anything about them. 1990 saw Nawaz Sharif coming into power. He stayed there till 1993. Till 1993 the nation had seen what evil these two brought with them. How much corruption their parties did. Our current President also made his mark during his wife’s tenure. In 1993, President G.I.Khan again dissolved the National assembly. Anyone studying the history of Pakistan would draw the conclusion that obviously both these governments were a failure. Surprisingly someone took a stand. The Supreme court restored Nawaz Sharif and the assembly. Soon both G.I.Khan and Nawaz Sharif quit their office. Again a cliche, elections, Benazir assumes power again. 3 years she had to rip the country apart. Her brother was killed in between. All knew who did it. No one had the courage to speak. Till that time people had seen the real sides of both PPP and PML(N). 1996, again the national assembly was dissolved. Makes one wonder why do they even make the national assembly if they keep on dissolving it again and again. Nawaz Sharif got his second chance in 1997. Came 1999 and the most interesting era of Pakistan’s politics started.

In 1999 Nawaz Sharif tried to sack Musharraf and appoint a new COAS. This was effectively countered by Musharraf and Nawaz Sharif was ousted from power. It was then feared that some of the apex court judges might pass a judgment against General Musharraf and so it was decided to ask the judges to take oath under the PCO. Among the PCO judges was Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the present Chief Justice of Pakistan. He was among the judges who not only validated General Musharraf’s coup, but allowed him to amend the Constitution, but obviously all of of us would forget this after some time.

Now when Nawaz Sharif’s government was toppled i recall people coming out on the streets in celebration. The tradition of distributing ‘Mithai’ was practised. People were happy. Maybe they thought that finally things were going to move in the right direction and they did. For a few years Pakistan was a happy place to be. We prospered. Came 2007 and things started getting out of Musharraf’s hand. Some wrong decisions led to a national uprising against him. Chief Justice Iftikhar Ch. carried out a movement to restore himself, one can say. Our old patriotic leaders, Nawaz Sharif and BB, saw the opportunity and flew back to the country after more than 7 years of absence and what we saw was what was expected. The nation fled to them, embracing them. Again the ‘Mithai’ distribution took place to mark their return to ‘our’ beloved homeland. People forgave everything they did to Pakistan. They were hailed as heroes and saviours. BB was assasinated. Everybody knew who did it. No one spoke. Elections took place. Second time around PPP did politics on their deceased and won the elections. We had a new prime minister. The issue was who would be the president. After much denial and lying from the PPP. Asif Zardari became our leader, our president. No one spoke a thing. No one reminded anyone of what he had done. Of what charges he faced. Of what he had done to Pakistan. Everybody forgot the past and he was hailed as the most powerful man in Pakistan. The chief justice carried out a series of doing the right things. Solving unsolved cases. Giving a verdict against PCO judges. Anyone remember who took an oath under PCO in 1999? Some how the NRO never got mentioned. A series of utterly wrong and non patriotic decisions followed including breaking of many-a-promises. Army saw a resurgence in its respect and demand. The whole nation which only 2 years before, were degrading the army now looked up to them and that’s the current state of our country.

Where does the problem lie? Obviously in us. We forget and forgive too easily. We forget who these people really are before casting our votes. We forget what they have done in the past. We don’t think before stamping that paper. Hell, most of us don’t even cast their votes. Maybe because of our carefree attitude. Don’t think that if you don’t go to cast your votes it wouldn’t be counted. Sadly, the truth is that the polling stations sell these votes to different political parties. Your papers are stamped and put in those ballot boxes. How many times have we heard this but again we all forget this. How many times have we been bit by our leaders but we re elect them. We give them more chances to rob ‘our’ country. We cast votes out of pity or because one of our friend tells us to vote for someone. It’s called ‘our’ vote for a reason. That ‘we’ think and analyze who ‘we’ think deserves it the most. I call out to you all to come out of this self inflicted disease. Stop forgetting the mistakes that our leaders make. Don’t decide our country’s leadership just based on the present, it’s something very precious, so please give more thought to deciding your leaders the next time you get a chance and i pray that chance comes soon. Ameen

Who do you want ? ... Our fate is in our own hands .... Decide thoughfully ...

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