Liberalism has played a pivotal role in shaping the tumultuous history of Pakistan. It has served as a beacon for democratic values, mass education, scientific progress, and freedom for the media and entertainment industry. A significant minority of the country’s educated elite has long aligned with liberal principles and touted the importance of a progressive society.
However, recent events have cast a shadow over this liberal narrative. The noticeably anti-democratic treatment of Pakistan’s very own “Voldemort” (solely in the context of being “he-who-must-not-be-named”), as well as the stringent sanctions imposed on the media, have been met with an unsettling silence from liberal factions. In a thought-provoking piece for Dawn, Nadir Cheema noted this disquieting absence of criticism and incisively concluded that “Pakistan’s liberal-left civil society has much to reflect upon.” I aim to build upon Cheema’s argument and delineate specific points of reflection that warrant deeper examination.
Historically, liberalism has identified itself with seminal thinkers like John Locke, John Stuart Mill, and David Hume, among others. These intellectual giants, and the majority of classical thinkers associated with liberalism, grounded their perspectives in the bedrock of individualism. Yet, the atomistic understanding of individualism, inspired by classical physics, has been increasingly discredited. Given this shift, one must ask: what are the contemporary ontological grounds for liberalism? Furthermore, the rise of individualism has had palpable consequences on mental health, giving rise to what some term a “loneliness pandemic.” Without Western resources at our disposal, how are we as Pakistanis expected to mitigate the increasing prevalence of mental illnesses that are symptomatic of this widespread emotional malaise?
Traditionally, liberalism has championed the cause of science, and it’s worth noting that Locke, Mill, and Hume were all empiricists. However, in an era where deconstructive and postmodern movements in the West are relentlessly questioning the very foundational certainties upon which classical science prides itself, a new dilemma arises. Where do liberals, champions of British empiricism, find themselves amidst this vortex of epistemological skepticism?
These are not idle musings; they are questions that have confounded the Western academy for several decades. When Pakistani intellectuals argue for adopting Western models wholesale, without a critical lens, they must also grapple with these inherent contradictions and challenges. Can we continue down the road of blindly mimicking Western institutions? Is it sustainable, or even desirable?
The silence of liberal voices, particularly regarding recent political upheavals, echoes the West’s muted responses to similar events, such as the 2013 coup in Egypt or the backlash against the Islamic Salvation Front in Algeria in 1991, as Cheema astutely noted. This selective moral stance begs the question: are these inconsistencies driven solely by an underlying anti-religious sentiment? Do all the high-minded references to rationality, science, and progress serve as mere fronts for a more troubling ethical relativism?
We are free, within the liberal world we live in, to uphold liberalism. However, to continue to call oneself a liberal while refusing to engage with these questions is to engage in dogmatism. So much for an anti-religious front. Vague justifications like “it just makes sense” or “it feels right to me” lack the intellectual rigor that serious debate requires. To comprehend these pressing questions without placing one’s “metaphysical” cards on the table is not just evasive; it is downright deceptive.
The author is a Consultant Psychiatrist heading Telepsychiatry Pakistan
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Last modified: November 22, 2023
