Politicians
Let Down Pakistan
By Naeem Malik
14 September, 2007
Countercurrents.org
The
People of Pakistan are coming to realise that they are about to be let
down by its political classes once again. Nawaz Sharif, leader of the
Muslim League, had raised people's expectations by declaring his return
from forced exile to lead the struggle for the return of democracy and
civil governance to Pakistan. His subsequent return and docile surrender
to the authorities and his subsequent flight back to Saudi Arabia to
continue the remaining period of his exile left the people of Pakistan
disillusioned with its politicians. As a result the opposition's call
for a protest against the military's action was a non-event. Nawaz's
political fortunes nose-dived his popularity and credibility both suffered
a setback.
The people are expecting
the judiciary will stand firm. The courts could deny the military dictator
what the politicians are quite happy to assist Musharraf obtain in return
for personal favours, like amnesty from charges pending or ability to
become prime minister for third and subsequent times. The judiciary
might deliver, as Chief Justice Chaudry says that the courts "had
to do justice even though the heavens may fall". Justice delivered
by the courts might bring about a revolutionary situation, except the
absence of a political party able and willing to dislodge the military
from its dictatorial role in Pakistani politics, might not bring the
results peoples of Pakistan deserve and long for. We may still have
to put up with Martial Law just so that the judiciary can be silenced.
The political history of Pakistan is full of examples of how Pakistani
political leaders have at critical points either lost their nerves,
or for personal or short-term benefits have given the army a lifeline
when the army's credibility and popularity have been at its lowest.
Certainly, Benazir's first term as Prime Minister could have been eventful
in denying the army any role in the governance of Pakistan. However,
Aslam Baig, heading the military at the time, was able to dictate to
her the terms and conditions on which the civilian rule was allowed
to return to Pakistan. These conditions allowed the army to both continue
it domination of Pakistan's civil society, including, in the private
and the public sectors and re-coup its political credibility over a
period of time. The terms Benazir agreed with the army at the time made
it very difficult for her administration to make the economic and political
changes the peoples of Pakistan were expecting as a result of returning
her to power. That lowered her public credibility. The army was able
to dislodge her administration within two years. Nawaz willingly took
power, when he should have stood by her in order to strengthen democratic
institutions. Instead, he was allured by the possibility of being in
government. His tenure in office also did not last long. Both Benazir
and Sharif's subsequent tenures in government were uneventful except
in the scandals that
ensued. Benazir's husband earned the title, not altogether undeserved,
of Mister ten-percent.
Nawaz was implicated in several
banking irregularities and financial scandals. All this ultimately ended
in the direct takeover of the governance of Pakistan by the army in
1999. The credibility of all politicians was at such low ebb that, Musharraf,
despite being a military dictator, was popular when he took over the
country. The often-repeated bogey of corruption and his similar promise
to clean Pakistani institutions of corruption attracted him widespread
support. He failed to clean Pakistani politics and some Pakistanis at
the time doubted whether that was his real intention behind the takeover
of the country or just an often-repeated formula the previous military
generals have used to declare military rule. However, eight years of
military administration, corruption remains as before and the military
is implicated in many of the scandals since. The collapse of the bridge
on the Northern Bypass in Karachi earlier this month highlighted the
level of corruption Musharraf's administration has been involved in
since the army's takeover of Pakistan. It transpired, following the
collapse of the bridge resulting in several casualties that the contract
for the Northern Bypass was given to a military linked organisation,
the National Logistic Cell, bypassing any established tendering procedures.
By its own charter the National Logistic Cell does not qualify for civil
engineering work as the debate in the National Assembly highlighted
following the collapse of the bridge.
There is another ingredient
that has helped the Pakistan military to maintain its hold over the
country and that is the geo-political requirements of United States
in the region. Ayub Khan's fortune as military dictatorship of the sixties
was tied with the requirements of the cold war between the United States
and the Soviet Union. Pakistan under Ayub's rule proved to be necessary
and reliable partner for the United States, mainly because of its geography.
The U2 affair in which a reconnaissance plane was shot down in the Soviet
Union flew from Peshawar in Pakistan.
Pakistan was an active and reliable member of SEATO and CENTO treaties
designed by the USA to combat what it conceived as Soviet expansion
in Asia. General Zia's administration, in the eighties was central to
the struggle between United States and the Soviet Union after the Vietnam
war. The ultimate demise of the Soviet Union is mainly attributable
to the military struggle in Afghanistan between the Soviet Union and
the United States administered and executed through the Pakistan military.
The people of Pakistan, apart from those in Afghanistan were the main
victims of that war. Kalashnikov culture became the dominant element
in Pakistani society and its impact is still very noticeable. Musharraf's
military administration was given a lifeline as a result of the events
following 9/11. The invasion of Afghanistan by United States put Pakistan
in the position of the frontline state in the war on terror. Today Pakistan
has deployed over 90,000 soldiers in the region surrounding Afghanistan.
Pakistan's military is suffering daily casualties. United States is
playing a key role in propping up Musharraf and is alluring political
leaders it thinks could prove worthwhile partners in the War on terror.
Begum Bhutto is the politician of Washington's choice. However, they
still want to maintain Musharraf in overall control of Pakistan and
Benazir to give political credibility he needs to survive the current
crisis of governance in Pakistan.
Among the people of Pakistan,
military is very much discredited. Its popularity is it's lowest. Any
politician giving a lease of life to such an institution would suffer
a heavy loss of popularity. United States and its geo-political manoeuvrings
is even more hated among the peoples of Pakistan and any politician
singing from the hymn sheet provided by Washington would likewise find
themselves even more unpopular. Despite this the two main political
leaders are trying to come to some accommodation with these two most
un-popular ingredients of the volatile Pakistan we find today.
Author is a civil rights
activists and IT professional in Britain. He can be contacted on [email protected]
Leave
A Comment
&
Share Your Insights
Comment
Policy
Digg
it! And spread the word!
Here is a unique chance to help this article to be read by thousands
of people more. You just Digg it, and it will appear in the home page
of Digg.com and thousands more will read it. Digg is nothing but an
vote, the article with most votes will go to the top of the page. So,
as you read just give a digg and help thousands more to read this article.