KARACHI CHRONICLE: We the people

A sea-change has happened in the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, now to be called MQM-Pakistan with Dr Farooq Sattar as its chief. The August 22 mayhem by party workers and highly unsavoury reactions by the so-called law and order authorities who did not care for observing the law as they demolished party offices, took away computers and other property of the MQM, sealed '90' cleansed Mukka Chowk of Altaf Hussain's posters, portraits and arrested scores of workers. Despite all this, life in the city goes on as if nothing happened. Only the rains caused some disruption in Karachi's fast paced lifestyle since that fateful day.
The thinking of the city's people has not altered, proved by the normalcy of everyday life, with its everyday problems such as traffic jams, power breakdown, water shortage etc. The reason is we the people are not players in the power game that is going on. This is more than obvious by the yapping of anchors in TV talk shows, the self-appointed political pundits who give opinionated specious arguments and, last but not least, the delight political rivals of the MQM are indulging in to blacken every figure who represents or represented the MQM from Altaf Hussain to the elected-jailed mayor of Karachi Wasim Akhtar.
As a journalist, I am naturally exposed to all this clap-trap at the Karachi Press Club. I avoid it as far as I can by taking my meals away from the Jabberers and playing chess. If someone comes up to ask what do I think of the whole affair, I counter it with a question: What do you think? They are not interested in what I think, they merely want to gauge what I feel. But occasionally I am cornered. A colleague who is now an anchor in a TV channel was at a book launch at the KPC. After the ceremony he made beeline for me, insisted I have a cup of tea with him 'for old time's sake', so we went into the dining hall. I mention this because his attitude is typical of all TV anchors.
They ask you what do you think, but are not really interested in hearing your opinion. Hardly had I uttered two sentences: a positive one that now hopefully the focus will be on the political face of MQM-Pakistan, and a negative one that worker mentality for disruptive activity is not likely to change, the latter sentence is what he wanted to hear. After that he talked and talked, recounting all the sins of the beleaguered party, comparing it to the Nazi Party. Every now and then he would pepper his talk with 'I am not afraid to speak'. I was not able to get a word in edgewise. He was full of his own opinion and I was waiting for an opportunity to burst the bubble of pride. The way to do it is to shock. So when he took a sip of tea I got my chance. 'I will still vote for MQM,' I said. 'But, but, Khanum,' he spluttered and recounted some more MQM's sins. Nevertheless he was deflated and he made some excuse of a pending meeting and left, his teacup still half full.
Will Karachiites continue to vote for MQM? Politicians and those irritating TV anchors may imagine the crackdown and exposure of MQM's wrongdoings will discourage voters. There are only two political parties relevant to Karachi. First the MQM and second the Pakistan People's Party. Those who have voted for them in the past will continue to do so. At best they may vote like I do. I sometimes vote for MQM and sometimes for PPP. As you can see the vote is not about party loyalty; it is about who at the moment would best represent the people of this great city. In the USA citizens are divided and staunch supporters of either one of the two major parties - Democrats and Republicans. In Pakistan such party loyalty has not developed among the people. In Karachi, and other urban centers of Pakistan people have freedom of choice and therefore affiliation or sympathy for some political party, but even that cannot be described as loyalty. In the rest of the country the people vote where the village headman tells them to, or their chowdhry or their wadera, sain, or pirsahab. No effort at all is made to develop political sense in the people of Pakistan.
In the USA they inculcate political sense among children. I am reminded of an occasion when I was teasing my grand nephew who is American to the core, criticising a leader he supported. I said if I was in American I would expose his leader. 'Don't even think about it,' threatened the six-year-old. No child in Pakistan is such a staunch supporter of any political party.