Shakespeare is credited with saying, “Those are pearls that were his eyes,” in “The Tempest.” The sentence “I Remember/Those are pearls that were his eyes,” which T. S. Eliot repeated in “The Waste Land,” had such a profound effect.
Eliot later captures a similar scene, albeit with more specific details, in “The Burial of the Dead”:
There is a shadow beneath this red rock. (Come in under the red rock’s shadow). And I will show you something different than your shadow walking behind you in the morning or rising to meet you in the evening: I will show you fear in a handful of dust.
Fear in a handful of dust and eyes gouged from a human face are potent pictures that haunt people’s minds. Such an affliction may lead to a state in which an individual may have the necessary faculties but be unable to employ them. Refusing to communicate the truth with the power of seeing could be a shadow of fear. This is essentially a sensation that corresponds to the beginning, even intensification, of a virtual comatose state that numbs the human mind to varied degrees of inaction; as a result, the simple act of being loses its significance and intent.
As a country, we have frequently experienced one or more of these illnesses, but in recent times, these illnesses have become more serious. It seems that fear and blindness are the twin scourges of society. However, it is not blindness that has frightened us so much as fear that has blinded us, either naturally or by a deliberate strategy to get away from the state’s unleashing of dread.
People are being violently removed from society in order to extract confessional statements; it appears that unseen forces are controlling the populace without making themselves known or being held accountable. These powers are only discernible by their outlines as they hide in the shadows,
However, their body and essence remain hidden from human view.
Right now, it seems like every institution is at their disposal, following their commands without causing a murmur. Whether someone does it after losing their sight or if they are compelled to remain silent out of fear are hypothetical possibilities. Regardless of the path chosen, both options are compelling facts and demonstrate that life has progressed far beyond what can be controlled without fear of retaliation.
However, some people are lucky enough to not only have the freedom to manage their affairs as they see fit, but they are also allowed to threaten, abuse,and disparaging against people they believe to be opposed to achieving their objectives and carrying out their plans.
A political party leader was heard threatening the chief justice to desist from issuing such rulings, citing fear for his life and the possibility of his being forced to flee the province, just days before the Peshawar High Court (PHC) suspended the ECP order to withhold the PTI’s allotment of an election symbol. There was absolutely no movement to establish the writ of the court and the protection of those who still dared to follow their duty and their conscience.
The state is generally only apparent when it is clad in extremist and violent clothing. However,The powerful claim that their will must be followed without question, disregarding the constitution, the rule of law, and any morals that may still exist. Those who are affected by these harsh views bear the harsh results in silence. A trace of dissatisfaction can result in dire consequences.
However, there are times that represent tenacity when the human spirit rises and fear becomes merely a spectator. With their bravery and tenacity, the young girls, boys, and older mentors who have been imprisoned for nearly six months have blazed a heroic road. Despite being subjected to governmental excesses and unfairly denied of their freedom, they have remained steadfast in their commitment to their values.
.. The change turned out to be only transitory since domestic colonization led by the country’s own people quickly supplanted the formerly foreign-imposed rule.
To break this hold and bring about a change that will reshape the nation into what was imagined, more than 70 years have passed. The people are neither blind to the truth that is emerging, nor are they terrified of the underlying terror. They are its catalysts, and nothing can now prevent them from feeling proud of themselves for leading Pakistan to its long-awaited goal.
The author is a fellow at King’s College London and the PTI’s information secretary. He posts and tweets as @RaoofHasan.
Notice: The opinions presented in this article are the author’s own and may not represent .
