After a long sultry spell, showers brought some relief to the land. The day wore a charming, freshly bathed and festive look under an awning of lambent clouds.
Then Kaga Bhushundi ji flew in from the western skies and perched on my shoulder. ‘Son,’ he said cheerfully, ‘a passing breeze has gladdened my heart. Would you like to hear a fresh tale from Pakistan? In an emergency joint session, the country’s Parliament has unanimously vowed to support Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government, declaring that protests led by Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri are a ‘mutiny against Pakistan’! Representatives both of Khan and Qadri are holding talks with the government for a peaceful resolution of the strife.’
Kaga Bhushundi SpeakEth
Suman K Sharma
‘Why should I waste my time listening to your idle tales, whether of Pakistan or any other country,’ I said offhandedly, ‘there are enough stories here in India itself to keep me engaged.’
‘Sometimes a neighbour’s tale brings home the truth of our own story.’
‘Kaga ji, you won’t keep quiet till you have had your say. So what’s it all about?’
‘It’s about the triumph of democratic values over the lumpen elements.’
‘The likes of Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri don’t exactly fall in the category of “the lumpen”, Kaga ji’.
‘In the long run, son, it is not one’s personal achievements but how one acts in the society at large that matters. Imran Khan might have excelled himself as a sportsman and Qadri in his religious studies, but they both ended up inciting mobs against the rule of law and almost brought their country to the brink of chaos.’
‘Imran Khan and Qadri claim they are fighting for justice. They say Sharif came to power by unfair means and his government should go. They want that the poor and hungry in Pakistan should have roti – what is wrong with that?’
‘What sort of justice, hain? In the General Elections held in May 2013, Nawaz Sharif’s party Pakistan Muslim League (PML) (N) trumped Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to a third position, winning 166 seats to PTI’s measly 35. Khan’s PTI couldn’t better even Ameen Fahim’s Pakistan People’s Party which has got 45 seats….’
‘Hold on, Kaga ji. There have been complaints of rigging. Afzal Khan, Secretary, Election Commission, resigned in protest against what he said was “historic” rigging in the elections.’
‘Are you talking of the same Afzal Khan who was denied promotion by Sharif’s government? He was the man who had declared in a talk show the last year that the elections had been “most fair ever” in Pakistan! So much for his credibility. And how has that Qadri fellow, the rabble rouser been acting! One would have expected much better from a scholarly person of his repute. His first calling was to show his fellow men the right path rather than wreck his country’s economy with street politics. Storming into public institutions and telling masses not to pay taxes and utility bills do not move heavens shower manna to feed the hungry. ‘
‘Reminds me of our own Kejriwal and his AAP – their incitement of Dilli-walas not to pay ‘inflated’ bills of electricity, their promises of free water and eventually, the way they abdicated the mandate aam admi had given them.’
‘Kejriwal may feel proud that there are persons across the border that emulated him to win public support, but even Kejrival had to resort to the mode of representative democracy to come to power. That is what Khan and Qadri should bear in mind. The Lion of Punjab, as Nawaz Sharif is known to his supporters, has feet of clay. There is wide spread corruption in the country which is reeling under poverty. Important legislation is pending. Crucial posts in the government lie vacant and the country does not have even a full time Defence Minister. No, son, I am not talking of Bharat sarkar. Surrounded by a chosen few, Sharif Sahab distributes favours to his own kin. He keeps ex-army chief Musharraf – now facing treason charges – under house arrest, disallowing him to go abroad for medical treatment. With this one decision of his, he has not only countermanded a court ruling but also distanced himself from the most powerful institution of the country – the Pakistan army. So, remove Nawaz Sharif from power if you can, but not by subverting law and order. And certainly not by threatening the prime minister with physical violence as Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri have been doing all this time.’
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