The Price of Politics

The events of the last 24 hours in Pakistan have made one thing clear: it is far safer to be a terrorist than a politician in the country. This is because the security state is threatened by the latter while it retains its hegemony on power due to the presence of the former.

This unfortunate dynamic sets a dangerously misleading precedent for any current and future change-makers in the country, who may view violence and terrorism as a safer route to political change than pursuing a democratic path—one that could lead to abduction, torture, or even being disappeared for years, along with their families.

The militarization of the political space by the country's military establishment, where political leaders, workers, and even Chief Ministers can be abducted by security agencies, has completely altered the calculus for social and political change. As a result, more young Baloch students are opting to take up arms against the state rather than pursue government jobs. The same is true in KP, Punjab, and Sindh, where large segments of the youth are filling the ranks of sectarian and extremist groups, seeking social and political change. Meanwhile, those in democratic political parties continue to languish in prison cells.

In its attempt to crush democratic political leaders, parties, and institutions, the military establishment has opened a pathway for violent and undemocratic actors to capture the political space which is setting Pakistan on a dangerous path that will make Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan look peaceful and stable countries in comparison.

To avoid this catastrophe, there are only two ways forward for Pakistan: 1) The military withdraws from the political space entirely and offers an apology, hoping for public forgiveness or 2) The public will respond militarily in the near future, bypassing democratic channels to push the military back into its constitutional role. The latter option will come at a very big cost, but the way politics has been deeply militarised, the first option will likely result in a complete state collapse.

It is easy to mistake the public's lack of immediate reaction to your transgressions as either approval or incapacity to respond. The public is very tolerable and slow to move, but when it does, there are no places to hide, as we have seen time and again in history.