By: Qamar Bashir

There are two statements on X, one by Dr. Arif Alvi, former President, and the other from real estate tycoon Malik Riaz. Incidentally, I know both of them very closely. I served Dr. Alvi as his Press Secretary and Media Advisor for ten months, and I had a very close association with Malik Riaz during my time at the newly constructed Bilawal House in Lahore as Director of Media with President Asif Ali Zardari, where we often engaged in healthy conversations. I found both of them extremely committed to their causes, very wise, good leaders, innovators, and excellent managers and doers.

Both of them, with many successes and achievements behind them, in their recent statements, perhaps due to their age, deep experience of worldly affairs, and their closeness to religion and Almighty Allah, called for divine intervention and refused to yield to worldly gains, speaking what they believed was correct, truthful, and good for the country and its people.

President Alvi, having led all three pillars of the state—the executive, the judiciary, and the parliament—and being the supreme commander of the armed forces, has perhaps realized that the solution to the country’s woes does not only lie in mundane and worldly power dynamics but rests with the will, intervention, and blessing of Almighty Allah for those who are on the right path. He suggests that divine anger and retribution will come for those who, allegedly consumed with the toxicity of brute power, have unleashed a reign of terror on the innocent, righteous, and hardworking people of Pakistan.

His recent tweets are outrightly rebellious, fearless, and bold. He has warned all those who have assumed the sources of every worldly power in the country that the volcano, which on the surface looks peaceful and harmless, will spew fire, lethal ashes, and molten lava when it bursts, and nothing can stand against its wrath especially those who have a false, usurping, and tyrannical grip on power.

The aim of this statement and its warning is addressed to the alleged supra executive and those who are allegedly occupying the parliament, the provincial assemblies, the senate, and the government after the 2024 elections, not because of their merit but because of the blessing of the supra executive, which allegedly, by a swirl of a magic wand, changed the election results in their favor, thus imposing an illegitimate government in the center and in Punjab.

Having said this, the president paused and raised a very pertinent question: if this lava bursts, it would burn anyone in its destructive path. Many innocent and well-intentioned people, whose past, present, and future are tied to this country, may also suffer.

But those in power, sensing the danger, would soon flee the country and take refuge in their safe havens, which they have created out of allegedly looted wealth in different parts of the world. However, he adds that Allah would make the world difficult for them.

He then takes a turn and gives hope that all loyal Pakistanis, who have their fate tied to this country and will live and die here, will finally defeat them. He warns the mafia not to take this warning lightly and to be aware that we will save Pakistan, build and develop this country, and ensure that our people regain their lost honor and that the country gets its rightful place in the community of nations.

He does not rest here but adds that we will build our homeland on the ashes of the ongoing looting under this false, brutal, illegal, and oppressive government. All this will be possible only with the grace of Allah through a very brave, proud son of this soil, the supreme commander of the hearts of the people of Pakistan, who will lead and will die only after reaching the destination.

This statement seems full of rhetoric, predictions, and hopes and desires for a better future, though it falls short of any mundane plan or strategy for how these desires would materialize in reality when the PTI is in shambles and its leader has been incarcerated for almost a year with little hope of release.

However, since these words are coming from a former president, who has seen the country’s inner workings with his own eyes, they should not be brushed aside but taken as a legitimate warning and a sincere effort to put things right to avoid an imminent catastrophe where the ultimate victims would be common people and the country.

The second powerful statement, which places all faith in divine mercy, was made on X by none other than the most powerful, resourceful, and creative real estate tycoon who has created dream housing societies unparalleled in the country and around the world, where millions of people live with dignity and honor.

Malik Riaz vowed to stand by his principles under divine guidance, and while remaining apolitical, refused to be used by one party against another. He sustained immense pressure with divine help, remained steadfast, and, in the face of imminent adversity, did not succumb to pressure and refused to be used as a pawn for political motives. He said he has been facing these pressures with grit and tenacity and will continue to do so even today, yielding to pressure “over his dead body.”

The reference to Mr. Malik Riaz is also allegedly aimed at the all-powerful supra executive, as the current lot of politicians and civil bureaucracy lack the grit or courage to challenge Malik Riaz, who has given decent living conditions of the millions and through his philanthropic work, which benefits thousands of downtrodden people every day.

These  statements reflect significant concerns and warnings that should not be taken lightly by either the supra executive or civilian government. Both figures emphasize the need for divine intervention, suggesting that the current state of affairs requires moral and spiritual rectification rather than merely political or military solutions. This appeal to divine will resonates deeply in a society where religion plays a central role in everyday life. By invoking divine intervention and standing firm on principles, both Alvi and Riaz position themselves as morally upright leaders, which can sway public opinion and reduce the legitimacy of those perceived as oppressors.

By: Qamar Bashir

Former Press Secretary to the President

Former Press Minister to the Embassy of Pakistan to France

Former MD, SRBC