I have not seen the original, but the 2000 Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley starrer remake of the film Bedazzled is nothing short of a treat. The story revolves around a hapless dreamer (Fraser) who sells his soul to the devil (Hurley) in exchange for seven wishes meant to help him win over the girl of his dreams. As one wish after another is fulfilled, he finds himself in the most perverse, twisted version of his desire, and every scenario ends in trauma and tragedy.
Similarly, in the existential comedy, Good Place, our four protagonists are told they have earned their place in the good place (a version of heaven) even though they are actually in the bad place (hell) and being forced to torture each other for eternity.
One more cultural reference. The Truman Show. Our main protagonist, Truman (Jim Carrey), lives in a cosmetic world created to keep him immersed for the pleasure of the viewing public. Truman is unaware that his life since his birth is a TV show. As he struggles to gain more freedom and turns rebellious, his entire mini-world pushes back and torments him further.
You have to concede there is something tragic about our politics that turns every good idea, every good intention, every dream on its head. Want examples? Let’s begin.
When General Musharraf took over, the country’s liberals heaved a sigh of relief. They were worried that Nawaz would get his Shariah Bill passed by the assembly, which would allow him to be called Amir-ul-Momineen (leader of the righteous, a term reserved for Caliphs), and he would be able to cancel any law through his decrees. They were ostensibly against the one-man rule. That’s why they went out of the way to support him immediately after his ascension. Little did they know the Supreme Court would soon validate his one-man rule and even allow him to amend the Constitution. Or that within a decade, they themselves would go extinct. Not precisely the general’s doing but most certainly a consequence of the pushback against his policies. Also, within three years of his takeover, Gen Musharraf was wooing the same politicians he had deposed, without Sharifs, of course.
Two story arcs developed in the dying days of his rule — the rise and rise of Iftikhar Chaudhry and the return of Benazir Bhutto. Chaudhry became an instant hero when, due to his selflessness, he bravely refused to step down when asked to resign. But times were desperate, and people would make do with whatever could pass for a hero. After a prolonged struggle, he would be reinstated and do irretrievable harm to the democratic project and the judiciary.
Benazir did return to the country only to be killed in a terrorist attack. When she returned, so did Sharifs. After her assassination, her party would win the national election but lose Punjab to Sharifs. By that time, it had already lost its central cohesive force. Moreover, the holdovers from Musharraf’s desperate and combative final days would latch on to the weakened PPP government, take shelter in the PPP-PMLN fault-line and reshape the government in their image. And when the party left power, it had already lost public support except in Sindh. The TTP’s constant threat and a hostile judiciary would eliminate whatever hope remained of the party’s resurgence in the rest of the country. As its vanguard in Punjab switched sides and joined the PTI, it was plain that the next battle would be fought between two right-of-the-center parties — the PMLN and the PTI.
The PMLN won a majority in the 2013 election, but the PTI challenged its integrity. This would ensure that the next five years remained highly unstable, with the PTI and Tahir Qadri’s Minhaj rocking the boat every now and then with their sit-ins and agitation. As someone who had to pass through their sit-ins every day to perform my professional duties, I can tell you this was one dark chapter of my life, and my heart condition did not develop overnight.
If this was the situation outside the party, what went on inside it was no less dire. This time, Nawaz, who had stayed out of politics after his return from exile, abandoned his signature hands-on approach, assumed a laid-back posture as the prime minister. This time, he would outsource power to a few cabinet ministers and family members. This would create spheres of influence during his rule, and his writ weakened by some of his close colleagues merely for egotistical reasons. Two of his influential ministers were not even on speaking terms with each other. His rule ended on a sad note, with the Panama Papers case seriously denting his image. He did not just lose power; he lost his better half and spent considerable time in jail.
In the 2018 election, the PTI emerged victorious with a shaky lead, and yet, thanks to Jahangir Tareen’s magical private jet and a few other miracles, the party quickly consolidated its position in the parliament and even formed a government in Punjab. A relatively stable and formidable government emerged at the centre. But if you thought things would be hunky-dory because all powers were on the same page and singing from the same hymn sheet, you had formed your opinion too quickly. The economy was in a shambles. The country narrowly escaped a war with its eastern neighbour. It all ended in tears. In the final days of his rule, Imran Khan claimed that the country’s movers and shakers had no choice other than him. Well, thanks to some even bigger miracles and Tareen’s more jet magic, we saw a multiparty coalition staying in power for over a year.
In the twilight days of the PTI government, it made some tragic concessions to the TTP, ostensibly to placate its populist base, which revived the spectre of terrorism. The country is still paying the price with blood and tears.
Now, the PMLN is threatening to return to power. But in a way that its rise to power and the PTI’s seem identical. Perhaps our corridors of powers are jinxed. That whoever enters these corridors shall first sacrifice their soul and enter in a weakened state.
Strong leaders often succumb to the temptations to placate religious populism. But as Imran Khan has shown us, you don’t have to be in a strong position to give in to that dark desire.
If you are a long-term reader of my columns, you would know that I do not have any political predilections. All I have ever wanted is for this country to function and some modicum of peace. My tolerance for suffering fools gladly is pretty high. But something about our system takes everything beautiful and turns it on its head. Looking back, I realise that every cause I thought precious and worth fighting for has turned to dust. Take that Midas touch. Elections are coming. Feel free to vote if you want to. I don’t have the energy left for another heartbreak. I am not voting. Ever again.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 9th, 2023.
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Pakistan’s political twister
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09.12.2023
I have not seen the original, but the 2000 Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley starrer remake of the film Bedazzled is nothing short of a treat. The story revolves around a hapless dreamer (Fraser) who sells his soul to the devil (Hurley) in exchange for seven wishes meant to help him win over the girl of his dreams. As one wish after another is fulfilled, he finds himself in the most perverse, twisted version of his desire, and every scenario ends in trauma and tragedy.
Similarly, in the existential comedy, Good Place, our four protagonists are told they have earned their place in the good place (a version of heaven) even though they are actually in the bad place (hell) and being forced to torture each other for eternity.
One more cultural reference. The Truman Show. Our main protagonist, Truman (Jim Carrey), lives in a cosmetic world created to keep him immersed for the pleasure of the viewing public. Truman is unaware that his life since his birth is a TV show. As he struggles to gain more freedom and turns rebellious, his entire mini-world pushes back and torments him further.
You have to concede there is something tragic about our politics that turns every good idea, every good intention, every dream on its head. Want examples? Let’s begin.
When General Musharraf took over, the country’s liberals heaved a sigh of relief. They were worried that Nawaz would get his Shariah Bill passed by the assembly, which would allow him to be called Amir-ul-Momineen (leader of the righteous, a term reserved for Caliphs), and he would be able to cancel any law through his decrees. They were ostensibly against the one-man rule. That’s why they went out of the way to support him immediately after his ascension. Little did........
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