Inconvenient truths Pakistan won't confront

Disappointment is the word that comes to mind when one thinks of Pakistan’s current situation. Sheer disappointment.

- BASIL NABI MALIK

Not necessarily with the state of the economy, the abysmal security situation, or even the uncertainty in the air. All these things have afflicted us so often that they no longer seem unusual.

So, if it isn’t that, then what? To put it bluntly, there seems to be little to no hope. In Pakistan’s excruciatingly frustrating history, there has always been something to cling on to, even if bordering on the delusional. If not the politicians, then one would look towards the judiciary. If not the judiciary, then even the army. And if not them, then perhaps someone else. But at any point, it appears, that one or the other could be identified as a possible solution to the problem. And that allowed us to keep ticking along. Until now.

This time round, however, there is realisation that no one is the solution, and no one has learnt from our past. In life, we are told from a very young age that it’s okay to make mistakes so long as we learn from them and don’t repeat them. However, no one tells you the irony of following such advice in a country whose functioning is predicated on collective amnesia and blissful ignorance. Tragically, we have forever held hostage to a merry-go-round that never stops and is anything but merry.

Many will see the realisation itself as positive, something to take heart from. After all, it only took us 75 years or so to collectively appreciate that those in power may simply not be learning from their mistakes. But that is not the case, unfortunately, because even our epiphanies are selective.