Which is Jinnah’s real Pakistan?

The last weekend witnessed well the dualities and contradictions inbuilt in the existing society. Our society, our country, Pakistan, is a land of two different societies.

First, which was exhibited in the rally of Difa-e-Pakistan, apparently the conservative, rigid and orthodox, while the other was came upon in Karachi Literature Festival (KLF), the presumably liberal, reformist and willing to change.

Obviously, the liberalists are possibly intolerant and no different from the extremists, as they are too rigid in their views particularly of those who oppose with them and have difference of opinion.

Still, there is a significant difference between the two on the right and left that comes in the degree of violence and force used by a group to plunge its ideology on others.

Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), a conglomerate of religious parties, predominantly banned militant outfits, took out a rally in Karachi on Sunday. All of the speakers called for the reinvention of Pakistan in line with a well-built, intransigent and religion-driven patriotism.

There was some mockery in the location selected, for the backdrop of the Quaid’s mausoleum made for a shaking up reminder of how far Pakistan has floated from the vision of its founder. A tale of hatred, bigotry and chauvinism dressed up as independent foreign and national-security policies is what was delivered at the rally.

The rally was organized by Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) that has now retooled as the Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat (ASWJ). It was also attended by Ejazul Haq, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and former ISI chief Hamid Gul.

The personalities led a wide public perception that perhaps the council is an alternative platform through which the military sends signals to civilians.

On the other hand, the KLF was attended mostly by thousands of the city’s well-established elite and had a handful of international well-known writers and intellectuals in the presence. This event gave a sigh of relief that there are others around in Pakistan, like them, who share the same worldview.

They came together to promote values disaffect to the DPC supporters: pluralism, tolerance, diversity, a love for the arts and culture, and free thought and expression.

So which is the real Pakistan, the one on display at the KLF or at the DPC rally?

Both are, but there is also a crucial divergence: the mindset adopted by the DPC appears to be in the ancestor, while that on display at the literature festival is on the decline or at the very least on the defensive attitude.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=12656

Posted by Faisal Farooq on Feb 14 2012. Filed under National, Opinion, Pakistan, Society. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.