May 12 seems to me a cursed day. Last year witnessed the bloodshed of uncountable innocents. Today we are witnessing the blood of democracy being spilled. Some say that the President must be very happy. With due respect I do not think so. While democracy is indeed undergoing serious turbulence, but that doesn’t mean it is the end of it. Democracy as we have seen during the times of the Martial Law has its ways to survive and so does dissent. If yesterday a dictator wearing uniform equipped with the powers of emergency could not weather the storm will he do so now? In my humble view then it was Musharraf who lost on February 18, it was Musharraf who lost on May 12 2007 by exposing his true colors and it is Musharraf who has lost today. You do not understand? Just consider this.
Musharraf last year lost whatever good will he had. When you call the human rights abuses by your allies as the display of the people’s power, you may not know it but everyone understand you are losing marbles. He was perhaps the only generalissimo who had to withdraw his martial law in the shortest span of time. No because of any change of heart but because he could not sustain the pressure both from within and without. Benazir Bhutto was one person who used her lobbying skills to force Musharraf to not only end emergency but also to doff the uniform. Someone did not like her this role and hence executed her.
If he is surviving thus far it is because he has very strong foreign allies. These allies rush to London to intervene when there is a chance that Nawaz Sharif and Zardari will attain synergy to confront Musharraf. The dictators in Washington are supporting the dictator in Islamabad. But one needs to remember that every dictatorship has an end. The dictators in Washington are soon to be ejected from their power cockpits. Our retired general is now facing a clear deadline. He will now fret the month of November when the United States votes to change its leadership. After that all the delayed tragedies that he thinks to have cheated out will start materializing. And as for his cronies, there is one question one needs ask: What will happen to you once he is gone?
Sheikh Rashid is just celebrating a bit too prematurely. He thinks that his prophecies have been fulfilled. Not quite sir. Sheikh sahib if you remember you had claimed that you’ll be a minister in the cabinet that ensued the interim set up and in this very space I had challenged that what to talk of the cabinet I do not see you even in the parliament. Let me tell you what will become of your predictions. You say you don’t see the coalition completing its term. I don’t see you living that long. You predict about the return to the government and distribution of meal in shoes, I don’t know about others but that might be true about the rightful owners of Lal Haveli whose rights you have so effectually usurped. I can be wrong about your life, but I assure you that you’ll never return to the parliament or government. As for the current set up let me tell you it will survive now, after the budget and even after the US elections. I have learned something form history too.
Category: Important
Respected Sir,
The country is passing through the most taxing times. Democracy seems under tremendous pressure, lawyers have endured terrible financial losses, media again is standing on a forked path. In such a situation everyone is looking towards you for your intervention and leadership capacity. Sir, chances are that on the issue of the restoration of judges the ruling coalition may get strained. If this happens it would be a terrible loss for the democratic future of the country. Perhaps there is need to pay heed to what Asif Zardari is saying. If this war is for the institution building of the country then use of an executive order will only complicate things further. It will set a precedent that any government can experiment with the judiciary through executive orders. I am sure you do not want that to happen.
Sir, I am among those who raised their voices almost immediately after the first attempt to sack you. Now as someone who has been part of the struggle I can only urge you to advise your supporters to step back for a while and let the institutions strengthen. Rest assured that this country will not forget its heroes and that you will eventually be restored. We need an act of selflessness from you to prove to the ruling coalition that your war is not merely for self preservation.
Expecting your intervention,
A Pakistani Citizen
It seems that we the citizens and the voters of the country are more concerned with saving the country than the coalition partners. Why should we not be for they are sitting in the parliament with our votes. But before I get to the details of the issue let me reproduce here a small anecdote from my personal life. This small example will essentially manifest my views on future of democracy in the country.
As you all know I am a journalist/ columnist. It was about ten years ago that I joined Pakistan Television as a producer/ reporter. PTV being one of the country’s most inertia ridden organization in those days was really a taxng experience. Since it was quite an early stage in my career and the atmosphere was really frustrating I got chickened out and left within an year. In those days no private channel had starting functioning. While my decision was justifiable I had some great benefactors who had developed disliking for me, in the long run it was proven wrong. While I did indeed quit and had to change profession for a while, some of my batch fellows just in resisting the temptation to quit have progressed really steadily. Asma Sherazi of ARY One World, Mateen Haider of Dawn News, Syed Anwar Hussain of PTV and Waheed Hussain of Waqt TV are all personal friends and batch fellows who are enjoying an advanced stage in their careers. Just because I managed to re-enter the TV arena quite late I am now posted in Multan not in Islamabad where I started my television career and spent more than ten years of it. The project that I am working for namely Geo English is failing to launch thanks to the successive governments’ censure. Queer how trigger happy attitude can take you years back in career. Had I not quit then I would have at least been working in a city of my choice.
Why did I quote this lengthy story here? Well just to emphasize the virtue of patience. My career issues are not such grave or irreversible problems as they hardly have any substantial impact on the lives of millions. That is not the case with democracy. When democracy is derailed you are thrown light years back from where you hardly ever recover. Nawaz Sharif and his peers towards the end of their last rule made some controversial decisions which brought the country to the current dictatorial rule that doesn’t seem to end easily. I have one point to make. Impatience is never rewarded and usually it brings an end to the otherwise durable future possibilities. While I have criticized Mushahid Hussain for his strange somersaults I have to grudgingly concede one of his recent points. He has said that in politics you don’t give deadlines. Deadlines were a mistake. When you give deadlines you rule out the possibility of any unforeseen developments. Same kind of mistakes took place in the past and it is owing to a similar mistake that the political/democratic class finds itself stranded today.
What the political class chooses to do is its prerogative. However it is important to understand that the circumstances for the political class are too taxing. If the politicians want the current set up to fail it is quite their own choice but remember this. The window of opportunity granted to the democratic class might be present today but it may not reappear again. It is also clear that the government is under enormous foreign pressure. How many times US Deputy Secretary of State travels to the UK to meet two politicians discussing Pakistan’s national issues? Hardly ever. You have to understand that the current government in view of those pressures is doing quite good. And when I say this there is already proof that the democratic government has accelerated its pace. As for the answer to the problem I have this to say. You don’t need to panic. The US establishment is going to be reformed thoroughly in November. The pressures we are facing will not be there in a few months. Barack Obama has said that the US committed a mistake in supporting a dictator. Hilary has blamed Musharraf for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. McCain also is a pro democracy sober man. The days of the neo-cons are numbered. So are the days of their foreign lackeys. So any democratic group needs not to panic. If our reforms are delayed they will only be implemented more thoroughly. If I were the head of the PML-N I would have made sure that I didn’t play the establishment’s game. The establishment wants the two parties to part ways. If the PML-N thinks that after the end to the present order it will be given a chance to win in the elections it should think again. The establishment has a grudge against this party too. Within no time both the parties would be projected as immature and opportunistic. The establishment would claim that the PML-N decided to quit the federal cabinet because it did not want to present the budget. The establishment would persecute all the parties that want democracy in the country. It is true that if the PML-N does not quit the federal cabinet it will face criticism at the hands of the lawyers’ movement and the politically immature elements like Imran Khan and the Maulvis. But remember this. It was the same Imran Khan who had misbehaved with the Nawaz Sharif when he in consultation with Benazir Bhutto refused to boycott the elections. Since the forces actually talking directly of the judges restoration called for a boycott and Nawaz Sharif did not it is wrong to say that its only mandate was to restore the judges. A little bit of patience would restore judges and also bring democratic forces to the fore. A little bit of loss of face with long term investment in democratic future will help a lot and is not a very bad option. Perhaps it is time to test our idol also. CJ Chaudhry Iftikhar, is he is any different from the sitting judges should call for patience and support of the democratic government. If he doesn’t do that he will be held responsible for the future of the country too. But PML-N would do best to stay the course. Both the parties can always apologize to the nation for giving unrealistic deadlines. That for the future of our children is not a huge sacrifice. Please trust me you will not repent once the results start showing.
I have just returned from a press talk of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi and while the talks are still deadlocked on the issue of the judges’ restoration there is heartening signs of progress elsewhere. The Foreign Minister told us that not only has the Foreign Office sent its deliberations to the Prime Minister with the summary for requesting the UN to probe Benazir Bhutto’s assassination and the premier has signed it also. The request will be formally forwarded to the UN for deliberation and the FM would travel to the UN to press the matter further. It is good news. Great news actually. It implies that the government despite impasse on a few important issues has moved forward on matters that may define our future history. As I have said it earlier this matter is not only critical to the future of democracy in the country but also vital because in the coming days blame game could engulf the entire state and even Mohtarma’s own party. Now it is evident that the party is not playing a puppet of the establishment. If the request is finally forwarded to the UN it would be an evident defeat of the establishment.
There are other indications that the party is actually bolstering its stance in the foreign policy arena and asserting itself. A clear example is the US decision not to send General Hood to Pakistan as its military representative. It is strange that while the establishment had such great reservations on sending the probe request to the UN, it had no objections on Hood’s placement in Pakistan. Hood is know for his human rights track record at Gitmo. When we have the right to be critical of the government’s performance on matters, it is also our responsibility to applaud whenever some improvement takes place in policy matters. I believe that if the government keeps improving its position on such matters all lingering issues like that of the judges restoration would quite soon be resolved. The party’s allies would have to watch these developments closely for their decision to quit coalition may not damage democracy. I am glad that the political class is now reminding the establishment that it will not tolerate the blood of national leaders any further.
The meeting in Dubai is over. Nawaz Sharif is to articulate his views today in Lahore. Unfortunately the perspective of the People’s Party is not very even though it reiterates it’s principled stand according to the Murree Declaration. Nor is it clear thus far what are the major points of agreement that came out in the meeting. We’ll have to wait and see. However there is the need to revisit a few basic principles for the sake of it.
Actually I felt the need to say this after I saw our dear Justice Wajih talking to Kamran Khan in his show. Justice Wajih as if on a cue said that he would advise Nawaz Sharif not to accept any kind of compromise on the judges issue no matter how rational. Likewise he also maintained that he would ask the PML-N supremo to advise an immediate dissolution of the Punjab Assembly. What sir, with due respect, are you out of your mind? Do you think the establishment would let you win again?
If I my memory does not fail me, Justice Wajih and other luminaries had actually urged the people to boycott the elections. Imran even misbehaved with Nawaz Sharif in an APDM meeting when he refused to boycott the elections. Imran sb, despite being my friend, or at least I still call him a friend, is a horrible political calculator. He boycotted the elections when he should not have. Actually he allowed himself to be used by the religious parties particularly the Jamaat-e-Islami, which knew it would never win. Imran would have won in Karachi. But he is silly and so is Justice Wajih proving himself to be. Wajih sb despite being an excellent lawyer is not a tactful politician. He allowed himself to be exploited by the JI. They nominated him for the presidency and then tendered their resignation. Hence the old man didn’t get any substantial votes. And what became of that resignation drive? Fazl-ur-Rehman ensured that the assemblies stayed put. Now Jamaat-e-Islami wants to re-enter politics with the help of the establishment that is why Mr Wajih and others are arguing for the dissolution of the assemblies. But let me tell you what will happen. I take the entire enterprise as the establishment’s bid to further damage the politicians. Once the assemblies are dissolved and the PML-Q and its allies will re-enter the arena with the plea that these politicians cannot run government. And in the fog of the chaos they with their allies in the Mullah Military Alliance (MMA) will manage to rig the elections and ensure their place in the parliament.
Imran Khan chose yesterday to challenge Asif Ali Zardari in NA 55. What a stupid move? I mean not only does it damage the coalition’s unity which Imran Khan cares too hoots, it manages to embarrass Aitzaz Ahsen and his supporters in the PPP, ensures that he will not get the ticket from the party and that the people’s mandate goes absolutely wasted. Imran had asked the voters to boycott the elections but they chose to reject that call and voted quite rightly. And just to remind you it was Imran Khan who supported Pervez Musharraf’s referendum and not us. Now by such silly notions he wants to further divide a divided people. Imran sb, you have never understood the genius of the people of the country. If you confront Asif Zardari in Pindi you’ll lose badly. Why then waste your time?
And since I mentioned Kamran Khan I must say that having almost worshiped him for over twenty five years I am now deeply disappointed. Yesterday’s program line up was clearly of those people who had a stake in opposing the restoration of the judges or then the dissolution of the assemblies. First he brought the law minister who is viewed is generally viewed as a divisive figure. Then Justice Wajih. And then Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman. I know it quite well that after the restoration of the channel Kamran sb increased his dependence on the establishment’s input because he did not want the channel to land in thick soup. But now toeing the line of the establishment to such an extent that you in a way are advocating the dissolution of the assemblies is really really going to damage the interests of the channel itself. Now people would only say that the media is irresponsible. Three men however are really managing the situation deftly. These men are Hamid Mir, Nusrat Javed and Talat Husain. Hats off sirs.
Now to sum it all folks, please do not let the assemblies crumble. Tonga parties will want to exploit everything and they won’t mind playing again in the hands of the establishment. But it is in the interest of the country, democracy and the mainstream parties to stay put and keep the system running. Otherwise I am disappointed to say that even Army Chief and the Americans are proving that they don’t want the establishment’s manipulation to end. And yes the judges need to be restored AND MUSHARRAF SHOULD GO NOW. Long live Pakistan, Long live democracy.
Coalition politics is one of the most difficult of products of democracy. To win over and and take a huge number of differing parties along is quite an onerous task. While in most cases the coalitions that are formed prove welcome news for the masses, sometimes urgency of government formation also leads you to align with a person or a party which plays a crucial role in undermining your political goals. There is no better example of this than the JUI-F and its leader Maulana Falur Rehman.
Maulana Fazl is an ambitious man who has always been ready with any group which promises him the seat of the Prime Minister. This makes him quite an untrustworthy ally. If you do not make him the premier and yet he sits with you on the treasury benches the odds are that he may ditch you or conspire against you whenever there is a tempting offer. Then why was he made an ally this time? As I have pointed out earlier formation of a coalition government is no child’s play. Government formation in Balochistan was indeed very difficult so he was taken on board. But it is a decision that should be seriously reflected upon.
In fact Maulana started working against the coalition the very day the prime minister took vote of confidence and delivered his speech in which he also talked of the religious seminary reform. We remember that Maulana spoke in response expressing his reservations on the abolition of the dark laws of FCR and the prospects of Madrassah reform. It should be remembered here that these religious seminaries is the most important source of power and money for the Maulana and his party. While a huge sum of unaccounted money comes from uncountable local and foreign sources comes to his party in the name of these Madaris, the students here are so brainwashed that it becomes impossible for them to appreciate any perspective other than that of their leader.
Interestingly in the same speech the premier also vowed to resolve the Tribal Areas issue through dialogue which was immediately well received even by the Taliban who showed their readiness to enter in unconditional dialog.
We must remember that the word Taliban literally means students of the religious seminaries. And it is not a coincidence that the Taliban belong to the same sect and creed as that of the Maulana. It was after about twenty four hours that the Taliban started changing their position and demanded the introduction of the Shariat law. It is otherwise clear that such a course of action was not in their own interest for there has been a lot bloodshed in the tribal areas and the Taliban also want some kind of peace. Why would the Taliban then start showing rigidity. It seems that the Maulana’s agents convinced them to take a maximalist position.
It certainly suits him that the issue of religious activism is not resolved and the coalition dominated primarily by secular parties is viewed as a hostile regime in the tribal areas. That would mean that while more human beings are killed and then coalition unravels, he remains in the good books of all. Now this position suits two other groups namely the opponents of peace in the tribal areas and Musharraf. The former is a class of foreign dignitaries, intelligence operatives and military men. It seems that the world has decided to finally dismantle Pakistan that is exactly why no one wants peace in the country. Meanwhile the latter (ie Musharraf) does not want anything that enhances the prestige of the ruling coalition to succeed. And the sooner the new government fails the better position he will be in to bring back his own clique. Unfortunately people like Maulana also do not care about the country’s future. What matters to them the most is that their own interests are preserved.
Another aspect of this sordid tale is the punishment of the Karzai regime. Karzai, some say tired of the never ending bloodshed, had welcomed the talks between the Taliban and neighboring Pakistan. This did not go down well with the neocons. That is why they wanted to create an environment where Karzai government feels it is being threatened by the Taliban. Through what appears to be a nexus between Fazlur Rehman and Musharraf’s appointed ISI chief the neo-cons are using the Taliban to step up their militant activities in Afghanistan and by doing so sealed the fate of peace in our tribal areas and in Afghanistan. In fact people like Jim Hoagland have already started arguing again for an invasion of Pakistan. If the coalition government fails, Musharraf and his allies may win a momentary win but the country’s fate would be sealed. Our religious politicians like Fazl and militants like the Taliban in their sheer stupidity are only serving the cause of those who want them and us the citizens of Pakistan dead.
I believe now that Musharraf has failed in the basic foreign policy test set forth by the Western democracies in recognizing Israel as a state, he is bound to try and charm China. Indeed in his first assassination of Ms Bhutto when the western press was challenging him eyeball to eyeball, he thundered at the journalists berating them for their gossip mongering and eulogized the Chinese journalists for reporting the truth. China and Pakistan, it must be remembered have stayed for long what qualifies in international relations as great pals. Indeed a number of Chinese friends invested their energies in learning Urdu when Pakistan was otherwise little known in the world for its culture. Chinese journalists naturally have been far more generous in their dealing with Pakistani matters than what they actually deserved. It was then the beginning of what should go down in history as Musharraf’s desperate charm China policy. In short when you are strong you cannot see any city except Washington, yet when you start losing power you all of a sudden realize that you are sitting next to Beijing. I have no illusions that this new policy like the “recognize Israel” policy, in which he never recognized Israel but always used his meetings with the Israeli leadership to project an image of moderation in the west. (Read my previous post ‘Should Pakistan Recognize Israel?’). Why do I believe it won’t succeed this time? Because I know that the Chinese leaders have enough vision and foresight not to associate them with a dying order which has only turned to China after being rejected from everywhere else and did nothing substantial for the country. China is very conscious about the sentiments of the Pakistani people and is aware of Musharraf’s standing in Pakistan. (To Read This Article in Chinese Click Here) View Full Article »
Believe me, I am not a prophet of doom or gloom. But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that our country is in grave peril. If my memory serves me right my country was not like this. We never had fear of any suicide bomber, any angry mob crushing us to death or even general breakdown of law and order on the national scale. It was the Pakistan we grew up in. Women could drive from one city to another without being robbed or assaulted. Children could still watch what little entertainment PTV or video tapes could offer without being reminded of the V word better known to us as violence. But things surely have changed for the worse. View Full Article »
It is astounding how we mortals often take our own selves more seriously than what we are. A clear example is the struggle going on within Pakistan. Perhaps it is because we take up a principle and weave our lives and often our businesses around it. Once that principle is out of vogue or has changed beyond trace (oh yes, the principles that we prefer to call ‘universal truths’ or deep rooted principles also change with time), we find ourselves really in a fix. View Full Article »
Something eerie seems to be happening since the national elections. We seem to have to have forgotten all virtues of patience learnt during the time of the authoritarian regime. After their win the victors came together in Bhurban to remind us that they mean business and signed a joint declaration vowing to restore the judiciary within thirty days. There was immediate talk of a countdown. Then the newly elected premier addressing after his vote of confidence promised that the government would deliver some of its early goals within a matter of hundred years. View Full Article »
