Cricket is not just a game in Pakistan; that is a buzz word one can hear all over the country. The dismal performance of Pakistan cricket team in the initial group matches of the World Cup has ignited a strong barrage of criticism from print, electronic and social media. Much of the criticism has been harsh and even extremely agenda oriented at times. For example ex-cricketers like Shoaib Akthar, Mohammed Yousuf and Abdul Qadir have personal grudges against the Pakistan Cricket Board as they believe they are entitled to positions within the board.
After two consecutive defeats in the World Cup it was reported that Chief Selector and former Pakistani captain, Moin Khan was spotted inside a casino in Christchurch with a group of friends. In a normal country that wouldn’t warrant any public attention, but in a deeply scarred and conservative nation like Pakistan, this irrelevant action of Moin Khan become the staple of prime time television news. From religious clerics to top security analysts, all weighed in on the issue, admonishing Moin for the grave sin of visiting a casino and having dinner with friends. Since the news broke conspiracy theories have spread like wild fire. Urdu electronic media as usual took this important matter of national pride (pun intended) in its own hands and as always played the role of the chief prosecutor, judge and executor.
Within a few hours after the disclosure, Moin was labeled as everything from a gambler to a match fixer, and it was established without any reasonable doubt that Moin had visited the Casino as part of some grand conspiracy to fix World Cup matches. Moin Khan’s explanation that he went to the Casino to have dinner with his wife and friends was obviously completely rejected by the guardians of national pride (Urdu electronic media). Former Test cricketers including discredited figures like Sarfaraz Ahmed were given prime time on television to malign not just Moin but also every cricketer who is part of the World Cup campaign. The media campaign was so strong that the Pakistan cricket board was forced to recall Moin from the tour. It is pertinent to mention that Moin was the only person in the Pakistani contingent to have tasted the glory of a World Cup victory in 1992. Moin was also part of the Pakistan team that qualified for the finals in 1999 and hence he had a lot to offer to youngsters.
Pakistan has witnessed an unprecedented boom in electronic media. Dozens of news channels have sprung up out of thin air in the last decade and their emergence in turn has seen a rise of so called political and defense analysts on the scene. These political analysts now hold a lot of sway and influence over the narrative in the country and also act as blackmailers. It must be reminded that these analysts predominantly hail from conservative, religious and ultra-rightwing backgrounds. These savvy media men always tend to get it right. They play to the rightwing conservative gallery; a part of this phenomena has led to witch hunts and character assassination campaigns against people from all walks of life, barring people of the religious clergy and the military establishment. A lack of regulatory of oversight and an almost nonexistent libel culture means that the electronic media can malign just about anyone with no fear of any consequences whatsoever. Proof is considered irrelevant and guilt is established on whim.
The World Cup has given these anchor persons another opportunity to advance their narrow and xenophobic agendas. The massive defeat to India hasn’t gone done well in Pakistan, instead of focusing on national shortcomings, the media and the urban populace is trying to look for convenient scapegoats to shift the blame.
The public lynching of Moin Khan is a symptom of a deeper malice that exists deep within the Pakistani society. Pakistanis in the last three decades have been exposed to violence and extremism of all forms. Precarious security conditions, poverty and a failing economy has meant that ordinary Pakistani people have come under tremendous mental strain. Mental health problems have grown almost 100 percent in the last 10 years according to statistics. These unfortunate circumstances have ultimately resulted in the creation of a mutated society that can no longer ask hard and uncomfortable questions pertaining to the state of affairs of the country and society.
In the absence of self-reflection, Pakistanis have instead found ways to find easy scapegoats. This helps the masses avoid the reality and gives them an outlet to vent out their anger temporarily on vulnerable scapegoats. Usually the scape goats are hostile foreign countries and agencies but often institutions and individuals within Pakistan also fall victim, who are then invariably linked to these foreign agencies or imaginary anti Pakistan forces. This gibberish is fueled by the Urdu print and electronic media on purpose to discourage purposeful self-reflection, as the media understands that the facts are very harsh for the general public to digest and any realistic self-analysis will be detrimental to the idea of the illusionary great Islamic nation. After all Pakistan came into existence to lead the Muslim Ummah.
As long as Pakistani media and urban population continue to find scapegoats and turn their faces away from hard facts, this cycle of madness will continue. The Moin Khan saga is just another episode demonstrating the schizophrenic and superfluous manner in which urban population and the mainstream Urdu press have now started to deal with complex issues which require rigorous introspection.
While religious clerics get away with raping young kids even inside mosques, as the media and public seem happy to look the other way. On the contrary other public figures should be ready to face merciless public scrutiny for the slightest deviation from conservative and religious norms advocated by the Urdu media and urban middle classes.
It seems our hypocrisy has no bounds, at least for the time being. As for Moin, he will continue to take his chances. Anyone who has followed his career as a cricketer fully understands that Moin Khan thrived on taking his chances; and more often than not the risks he took paid off.