Enemies of joy - Ghazi Salahuddin

Enemies of joy

Ghazi Salahuddin

Again and again, there is this evidence that we are not able or allowed to live like normal, civilised individuals. Our rights as citizens of a free and democratic nation are usurped on a daily basis. But the spectacle that is staged by the authorities on New Year’s Eve in Karachi is diabolical in its manifestation of a certain mindset that borders on mental sickness. 

One simply wonders: who are these people who design such vile stratagems, ostensibly in the name of law and order, to deny people an opportunity to have some entertainment and fun on an occasion that is universally celebrated? In fact, the idea seems to be to inflict pain and discomfort on a large scale. Do they see New Year as some kind of a social and cultural bereavement? 

Now, it is true that what happened at the advent of 2014 in Karachi has become an annual affair. The citizens have learnt to live with this bothersome incongruity. All the measures that were taken were like an action replay. The drill has become a ritual. So, why should one be so angry about it? After all, the national sense of direction, marked by increasing intolerance and obscurantism, also serves as an incentive for such restrictions. 

However, I feel that the absence of a serious debate on the state of our society is increasingly subverting the ability of the administration to deal with its challenges in a larger context. The focus on politics – and that too in a perfunctory and trivial manner –has prevented our decision makers from a proper understanding of how a modern society must function and how social capital should be generated to support intellectual and moral development. 

Perhaps we do not have sufficient intellectual resources to deal effectively with the present crisis of Pakistan. Our institutes of higher education are woefully deficient in the sphere of social sciences and humanities. The intelligentsia that we have is small and peripheral in its impact on our collective thinking and social behaviour. In this environment, we are left to be amused by the wisdom of the likes of Shaikh Rashid and the other usual suspects who chew the cud on our news channels. 

This is not to belittle the importance of major issues that relate to our national security and foreign policy. On the first day of 2014, we were reminded of the peril of sectarian terrorism. There are implications in how the case of treason against a former military ruler would proceed. We had this exciting twist in the tale when Pervez Musharraf left his farmhouse for the court and arrived at a military hospital. 

As an aside, just consider the monumental problems that the state must confront to bring Pervez Musharraf from his residence to the court, in spite of the massive security apparatus that is at its disposal. Also imagine the cost that such arrangements entail. This is another parable for the loss of authority of the rulers of a nuclear country that also has one of the largest standing armies of the world. A social scientist, if the rulers would want to listen to one, may be able to explain the meaning of simultaneous increase in violent disorder as well as the presence of uniformed men on the streets.

Similarly, the scenes that were enacted in the vicinity of Seaview in Karachi on the last evening of the departing year could figure in a Powerpoint presentation on the quixotic plan that was devised by the security officials of the city. It would appear that they had unlimited resources in terms of men and material to control the movement of a section of the populace. It would not matter if people were not able to reach their homes or deal with emergency situations. Ah, this may even be an intentional tactic to punish a large number of them for wanting to have some fun and happiness at a time when the whole world was in a playful and joyous mood. 

In some ways, the security arrangements violated the right of the people to live their lives. Even those who did not have any intention to join a party or the awami hullabaloo on the beach had to suffer. In a paradoxical sense, the officials succeeded in making New Year memorable for so many people. There must have been many stories to tell about that evening. Those who had an opportunity to watch the new year being celebrated in different countries, with fireworks and jubilant crowds in numerous freezing climes, could think that we live in a country in which having fun is a crime.

Of course, security concerns were said to be at the heart of these arrangements. On the face of it, this is a valid reason. But the protectors of law and order, who themselves live in a security bubble, did not perhaps have the wisdom or the imagination to be able to create safe spaces in which ordinary people could have a communal experience of a celebration. That many can be rowdy or riotous on such occasions is also because they have not been properly socialised and provided the right means to express their feelings. 

It is easier to block main roads, close down eating places and stop people from gathering at one place than to improve the security situation through innovative means. We may also refer to the ongoing operation in Karachi. Was it not the failure of our security agencies to arrest the decline and fall of law and order in the first place? 

My point, essentially, is to underline the importance of collective activities to infuse light and joy in ordinary lives. This would be possible when rule of law is established. At one level, our rulers’ constant appeasement of the fanatics is the real tragedy. The manner in which Lahore has been robbed of its Basant is a reflection of the failure of our nation to move forward in a cultural context. 

It is pointless to argue that celebrating New Year is not our culture, though this argument would not be valid in the case of Basant. I refer to New Year only in a generic sense. What is important is to allow people whatever justification they may have to enrich their lives and pursue happiness through legitimate means. Living with so much distress and anxiety, our people do deserve some moments of joy. And a glint of hope with which New Year is universally identified.

Email: ghazi_salahuddin@hotmail. com