Darkness at Noon
By Nadir Khan,
PhD Alta Loma, California
When I was a graduate student in the Midwest in the 1960s, the neighbor’s wife bought a parrot on sale for the paltry sum of one dollar. Obviously she had to buy an expensive cage to keep him confined. Once in a while she would close all the windows and doors of the apartment and let the poor bird out of the cage to fly freely around the house. He really enjoyed his momentary freedom. One day by chance the door was opened for a knock at the door and the bird flew out and perched himself on a tree in the backyard playground. She naively took the cage with its door open and put it under the tree in the hope that the bird would choose to lose his freedom and fly back into the cage. The same situation exists in Pakistan today. Refreshingly, and for a change the people have tested the beauty and glory of a free media and an independent judiciary---two pillars that protect the interest of ordinary citizens, more so than the executive and the legislative branches of a democratic and vibrant polity. Mr. Musharraf needs to realize (which I am absolutely certain he would not) that the genie is out of the bottle and it cannot be put back. All of us make decisions which seem so obvious and forthright and the outcome so transparent that when things go wrong, damage control becomes a formidable task. That situation happened on March 9, 2007. When one surrounds oneself with sycophants and toadies, there is no second opinion and mistakes are made which result in sleepless nights. To make the situation worse, now the conflict has taken personal overtones. The “I will teach him a lesson” kind of approach belittles the perpetrator. Dictators suffer from an invincibility complex without realizing that ultimately all of them fall. There is not a single dictator who has escaped this fate. Myopia is another affliction of this disorder. An ego bigger than the biggest pyramid does not help either. The days of paternalism have been over for a long time. If you are doubtful, ask any practicing physician. Autonomy is the name of the game. “Daddy knows best” is lost somewhere in the archives of the TV industry. Pakistanis have tasted, though only briefly, the fruits of freedom of the press and the independence of the judiciary, thanks to a few GOOD MEN AND WOMEN. They are the real heroes. Harvard has decided to honor the Chief Justice (he is still in that position, as far as I am concerned) with its Medal of Freedom. Are they not going to let him out of the country? Or not let him come back? The options are getting limited. Mr. Musharraf was upset because he thought a police officer was humiliated by the Supreme Court. He should know about Alberto Fujimori of Peru, former president Esterada of the Philippines, and now Chirac of France are being investigated for various crimes, and he is worried about a petty police officer in Islamabad!! Mr. President, the sun is out and it is a balmy day and do not even think of rolling back these beautiful days. Pakistan is finally coming of age. Two rays of light and hope on our national firmament have been dimmed for the time being but they have not been extinguished.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
