Pakistan is a strange country. We must be the only state in the world, ironically, at this time where a pseudo-political duo, like Imran Khan and Tahir ul Qadri, are actually staging a pseudo 'revolution' to in fact get rid of democracy and rule of constitution, to establish some sort of non-political and non-democratic, military-backed dispensation. An elected government is being held hostage and gradually being forced out, by gangs of goons led by crooks. Of course, while Qadri is a rank outsider, of extremely dubious credentials, and possibly even funded by some anti-Pakistan elements abroad; what is wrong with Imran Khan? The leader of a major Pakistani political party, an elected member of parliament, a person of credible patriotic and (previously) socially responsible attitudes--what ails him now?
Perhaps, as many commentators say, he is by now somehow desperate for power at any cost? Who can look into his heart and say, for sure? But, three things have clearly emerged with Imran and the PTI's recent showing: (a) Imran and his PTI can pull in sizable popular support (b) most of this support is derived from the midde and lower middle classes of Pakistan, and (c) most of this support is derived also from youth, young Pakistanis who are enthusiastic and often rowdy and very violent, even destructive.
They say that 'Nations that forget history, are forgotten by it'. And when we look carefully at world history, for parallels to the present rise of Imran Khan and his PTI, we come across a most disturbing view. For, like it or not, the rise of Imran and the PTI are almost the exact mirror image of the rise of Adolf Hitler and his fascist style 'Nazi' Party. This is a most alarming thing indeed, and no cause for joy or hope. Let's look at some hard historical facts:
1. Hitler and Nazi doctrine rose out of the chaos of World War 1, after Germany had been defeated and was facing severe economic and political crises, with major issues relating to the downfall of national morale, a corrupt and inefficient governmental system and big problems relating to the provision of basic utilities and facilities to the vast majority of the war-torn population. The PTI also emerged, stronger in war/terrorism Pakistan in the post-9/11 period, with many thousands of deaths and a plummeting public/national morale; faced by galloping inflation, severe energy and other ultility and services crises and with an extremely inefficient bureaucratic system.
2. Hitler proved himself to be a charismatic figure and leader, under these circumstances, winning many frustrated and angry people over to his gospel or creed, of Nazism. He laid down many of the basic points of this strict and cruel creed in his book ''Mein kampf'', rejecting many of the essential and sensible principles of national institutional reform and strengthening, in favour of a 'supermensch' style Nietzschean leadership. Similarly, Imran has also shown himself a very popular and charismatic leader and he, too, has expressed his views and opinions quite clearly in a number of his books, most recently his so-called 'personal history' of Pakistan--expressing a rather sick and unnatural world view and a very narrow and conservative, rigid historical narrative, glorifying the primitive tribal cult and a path of a centralised unitary rule, under some sort of 'divinely inspired' leadership that is not at all different to the Hitlerian conception. The thing is, as Marx Weber so well understood, that there always exists in nation-states, a conflict between (on the one hand) 'bureaucracy' -- i.e. the rule of strong state institutions and, on the other, 'charisma'-- ie the rule of charismatic and ambitious leaders who are willing to destroy the state itself for their ends, to perpetuate their own dominant sway at all costs.
3. Hitler and his infamous henchman and chief propagandist, Goebbels, evolved a uniquely nefarious methodology to 'sway the public to our tune' i.e by (a) holding mass rallies (b) where music, drama and passion were combined to (c) incite the people, the excitable mobs, to highly emotional and even violent behaviour. Today, on the streets of Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, we see Imran and his propagandists--Jahangir Tareen, Shah Mehmood, and Shaikh Rashid-- using exactly the same tactics, to the same ends. In this regard, Tahir ul Qadri, Imran's new-found 'cousin' is also following a very similar script, so that it seems that this Nazi style tactic might have been instilled in both the so-called 'revolutionaries' by someone acting behind the scenes and with an in-depth knowledge of such tactics and strategies.
4. Even among the incited mobs, Hitler and his Nazis especially focused on the youth--winning over and inciting the youth, young people, to a frenzy of violence and madness, whereby they could become like puppets in the hands of their 'puppeteers'. the Hitler 'Youth League's' , and many other such gang-style organisations for the youth, were examples of how this was doen and to what terrible effect. Having (for example) incited the youth against the German Jews, as 'enemies' and 'traitors' these furious and violent young people were thrown at them--the poor Jews were attacked, brutally assaulted and abused at every turn, before the 'programs' finally began, to exterminate them. At the same time, state/official authorities were also cowed down whenever they tried to come to help the Jews, as citizens within their legal-constitutional rights, sometimes policemen, magistrates and such, were also subjected to the same brutal treatment as the Jews. Again, the parallel is almost exact--Imran and his PTI 'Young Insafians' and 'Young PTI Leagues' etc--gangs of angry, incited young ruffians, let loose to create anarchy, to target and attack any people (politicians, police and state officials, journalists etc) who are first demonized and abused. Even a person of very low intelligence can see the parallels and similarities, and it is also quite clear that these are deliberately followed/implemented tactics, no mere coincidence.
5. Hitler and Nazism acted out their brutal historical 'game' within a politically weak and unstable milieu (the Weimar Republic) and eventually came to power with devastatingly negative consequences and effects. The Second World War, the estblishment of the fascist/repressive 'Gestapo' state in Germany, the systematic genocide of the Jews, and other communities; the utter socio-political and economic wreck of Germany by 1955, that was all that ultimately resulted. It took the German nation over 3 decades to build up some modicum of its previous status, and that too, because they were Germans, a hard-working and committed people. What can we expect, now, in Pakistan, if an Imran or Imran/Qadri type dispensation ever comes to power? What is the most likely future scenario under such circumstances? History will gradually reveal and unfold this, if such an eventuality ever comes to pass.
Possibly, Imran and Qadri are not exactly Hitlers--one hopes not-- but the 'games' they are at this very moment playing are ominously Hitlerian, ominously and yet clearly based on Nazi methods. And make no mistake, history is a hard teacher, it allows little or no room for mistakes. Every one of us has to account for their deeds to history and to our own morality, our conscience. Will we all, also, one day, be called like the German nation before a Neuremberg tribunal to be accused of 'passive complicity' to crimes against humanity? Or will we today stand up to reject the politics of self-interest and egotism, the Nazi style doctrines confronting us, and to support fully the strengthening of parliament and the constitution? Our present responses will be vital in informing our future directions. So, think.
