Brutalised society

What a week it has been, dominated by allegations and denials. Imran Khan and others in the PTI march came under a gun attack. We heard the fire of bullets, we saw the blood and so did the ones in power, so the condemnations came swiftly and from all over. But once the PTI wanted to name names, the government seemed to be having second thoughts about the event itself. Did it even happen Or did Khan do it himself? Questions are being raised.

And the more Khan accuses the government, and more, the more the government, and more, deny it. But only if the allegations and denials ended here. Azam Swati, a PTI senator, who is already alleging torture (which has also been denied) said he and his wife were sent a recording of a private moment. But the FIA denied it was any such thing. The agency was quick to use international-level forensics to judge the video was a 'deep fake' and there the matter rests.

Now if there are questions about who created this video and why and who distributed it and how, these can only be investigated if the senator files a complaint.

The forensic analysis can be done immediately but the rest is to wait till the complainant comes forward. But the story had more twists and turns to offer. Swati also added that the alleged video was made when he stayed at the Supreme Court housing in Balochistan but the apex court denied it, arguing that only judges can stay there - for rules are rules in Pakistan and never are they broken - and claimed the senator stayed at the judicial academy housing. But this claim was a bit much for the judicial academy which then denied it had housing facilities anymore. Here, it is hard to tell who will have to apply to whom or to which organisation to determine who stayed where in Quetta.

Khan wants to ask the army chief and the Supreme Court questions and the government only wants to ask Khan some questions. They all seem to be in the mood for Neelam Ghar or Kaun Banega….

The establishment only reacts - mostly through press releases and occasionally a press conference. They may be well intentioned but then given the mood we are in, their words tend to be treated with scepticism which grows proportionally to one's distance from Constitution Avenue. Doubting Thomases are growing in number.

But the reason for this back and forth and allegations and denials is the larger breakdown. There are no institutions left that can carry out an investigation and convince everyone out there that their work is trustworthy and beyond any influence or pressure.

FIA's international-level forensics have convinced only the government; Shaukat Khanum Hospital's treatment has only convinced the PTI. The superior judiciary has its own troubles to contend with; everyone knows why the prime minister asked for a full court bench. The commission set up by the government to look into Arshad Sharif's death has been rejected by his family and the government seems least concerned.

And if there are allegations of torture and worse, only some are worried.

This includes some who have suffered such treatment for decades and a few who didn't know this happened until Shahbaz Gill was picked up the rest are still divided in the 'it happened' or 'it didn't happen' camps.

If the five stages of grief could be applied to our politics, the government is in the denial stage, while the PTI is grappling with anger and negotiation and the people are just depressed.

But in between this mess we can only laugh and cry at what stands out as our brutalisation. We are a populace of victims - of violence, oppression and humiliation.

And so angry at the injustices meted out and the ridicule that may have followed that empathy is in short supply.