Weaponising genuine grievances?

EDITORIAL: The way Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) is hijacking, even weaponising, very genuine grievances of the people of Gwadar ought to raise a serious red flag in Islamabad, which must nip this evil in the bud before a regrettable precedent is set that other religious-political outfits would be only too happy to emulate. It’s a bit rich of JI to try and position itself as the guardian of the interests of the state and its people considering how it was once the loudest voice against the creation of Pakistan and also responsible for some of the most derogatory adjectives heaped upon the father of the nation. Its roots lie in the days of the British raj when, just like its Indian/Hindu counterpart RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), it became a tool to divide a very big bulk of the population along extremist, fascist lines.

Yet while RSS eventually evolved into a political entity increasingly embraced by the electorate in India, JI or even other religious parties never found such luck on this side of the border. But it’s not as if they haven’t tried. In fact, over the years they have gone it alone, formed alliances with different parties, been on either side of the so-called establishment and still have nothing to write home about in terms of translating their support base into electoral results. That is why their sudden attempt to become the voice of Gwadar’s concerned citizens smacks of the same old habit of leveraging political and social/humanitarian causes to advance their own agenda. There’s a reason, after all, that protestors in Gwadar felt assured after the prime minister took note of some of their discontents, yet their JI sympathisers were still eager to push the protests along. It’s also very telling that people from other provinces suddenly flocked to the small fishing village to stand with its people.

Such tendencies need to be checked very quickly otherwise they can assume very dangerous proportions. Already, the state’s recent record in face of street agitation that can turn violent isn’t very impressive. How does it plan to keep a lid on things if JI’s show in Gwadar inspires other religious groups to organise similar protests in other parts because there are easily exploitable grievances up and down the country? This is clearly one of those instances where the state needs to put its foot down firmly; and the sooner it does it the better not just to settle this particular matter but also to set a lasting example about lines that cannot be crossed.

That is not to say that the problems of Gwadar are not very real. If anything, the agitation of the last month or so should make the government realise how terribly wrong things can go if people’s complaints are left unaddressed for too long. Therefore, it must engage with the people of Gwadar directly and also make them understand the dubious nature and intent of some of their interlocutors. Everybody must also understand that these are very sensitive times and if too much fuss is made over things that can be amicably handled without it then there is a very real danger of derailing CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor), which is clearly Pakistan’s best and only chance of erecting modern infrastructure and becoming a central player in an epic reorganisation of international commerce.

The government needs to handle this issue while also making sure that the people of Gwadar get the first and largest share of the economic and financial bonanza that is visiting their region. There’s already good news around the corner because the city’s youth, which forms 50 percent of its population, is all set to receive quality technical education and training from the Pakistan-China Technical and Vocational Institute that will begin functioning from February. That will equip them to take advantage of employment opportunities that are going to arise all over the region very soon. It is now up to the government to make sure that the rights of Gwadar’s people are not infringed upon while checking regressive tendencies where it must so the once quiet sleeping village really becomes the jewel in the crown of CPEC.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021