Much has been said on how the election results are a referendum against the policies of General Musharraf. While there can be little disagreement with this, there is a clear lesson for Pakistan’s urban intelligentsia that had been screaming about the futility of this election.
True, Pakistan’s troubled polity will not transform overnight, nor will the endemic civil-military imbalance dissipate in the air with the formation of the new civilian government. But this is the magic of electoral politics — it allows the least risky path to a civilian transition. The road ahead is messy we know, but that is the only road that a fractured polity can tread.
The classic failure of the Pakistani urban educated will not go unnoticed. Led by the rhetoric Imran Khan, the delusions of the lawyers’ movement and the rake opportunism of Qazi Hussain Ahmed and General Hameed Gul, the boycott chanting individuals and groups should re-examine their standpoint and ultimately their “politics.”
Unwittingly, they took the risky path of de-legitimising the main political parties that have had the roughest time during the Musharraf years. This was also the time, which the electorate vividly remembers, that Qazi and his allies were feasting on the fruits of power in two provinces and were de facto beneficiaries of the establishment. Not to mention that Mr Imran Khan was campaigning for the general during his referendum. The urban classes term the mainstream politics as “feudal” and the participants “uneducated.” This has to change, lest the opinion leaders are relegated to the dustbin of history. This dustbin already contains some rudiments of political streams, not to mention the left parties, such as the one headed by Mr Abid Hasan Minto, harping on the boycott mantra and middle-class pretensions over the National Reconciliation Ordinance.
In a country of 160 million people with strong traditions of democratic yearning, the process of change cannot be articulated outside the mainstream electoral politics, however faulty the political parties. This is the biggest lesson we have learned. Mian Nawaz Sharif who was lambasted for his pragmatism now stands vindicated. And, above all, the vision of Benazir Bhutto, who was attacked left right and centre for insistence on the electoral route, stands validated. There could not have been a better tribute to her legacy.
The PPP may or may not be able to form the government, but that it led the process towards a peaceful, democratic–even quasi-democratic–transition is something that will be recorded in not so unflattering terms by history. By prevailing on Mian Nawaz Sharif not to leave the field vacant, the PPP also takes in some measure the ironic credit of the near-glorious comeback of the PML-N in Punjab.
Another myth, fuelled by this flawed “politics,” traced the rise of Islamism in the North West Frontier Province due to General Musharraf’s backing of the war on terror and the invasion of Afghanistan. What could be farther from the truth. The ANP and the PPP have bagged all the key seats, including those in areas where the spill over of war on terror was intense. The people of the Frontier, before sorting out the mess in Afghanistan through jihad, want peace and an end to the imposed parochialism of the clerics.
The erstwhile sponsored face of Islamism — the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal — has been routed. The people of NWFP have rejected outright these rentier clerics that use Islamisation for power and pelf. There were many who said that Benazir Bhutto’s rhetoric against fundamentalism would be counterproductive; and the results from NWFP and Balochistan speak otherwise. That she could say it so forcefully is partly why she was forced to sleep in the enigmatic precincts of Garhi Khuda Bux.
These elections are also a slap on the face of the global corporate media (and their backers, the global military machine) that had painted Pakistan as a breeding ground for Islamic extremism and, dare I say, terrorism. And the global campaign on declaring Pakistan as the most dangerous country was nothing but trappings of an ignorant and imperial discourse.
In the final analysis, the people and the ousted political parties are the biggest winners, while the Musharraf paradigm has been trashed. Sadly, Pakistan’s naïve intelligentsia has also received a jolt as its boycott mantra will rest in peace along with the “true” democracy project and the rent-seeking devolution plan. The electoral defeat of Daniyal Aziz says it all.
The lawyers’ movement and its ardent supporters in the Pakistani urban bourgeoisie may consider reflecting on and devising ways whereby the incoming parliament is not de-legitimised or unduly pressured. The much abused rule of law is meaningless as a concept without political struggles and parties; lest we would like it to be reduced to debating clubs and internet groups or worse to “letterhead” parties, a phrase that our maverick Maulana of the MMA has added to our political lexicon. If the forthcoming parliament is painted as a sell-out just in case it does not deliver on the shopping list of the boycotters, this would be tragic. Reform is a frustrating and slow process that if derailed in Pakistan takes a decade to resume. Our present plight is a testament to this historical cycle.
Ultimately, the causes espoused by the urban groups and lawyers’ movement could only be negotiated and articulated by a sovereign parliament and a responsible executive that is answerable to the electorate. Mercurial benches at the Supreme Court or overzealous TV talk show hosts, important as they are, cannot replace this imperative.
- This article also appeared in the Daily News of Februrary 21, 2008
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No matter whoever support PPP and PML-N for contesting elections it was not morally and ethically right to contest election with judiciary totally destroyed.
APDM although had to take a tough decision but as far as I see it was a decision based on principles.
The Jamaat Islami , Pakistan Tehreek Insaf and other nationalists parties in APDM have proved that they are not hungry for power like MQM , PML-Q, PPP and PML-N
and would not compromise on principles.
JazakALLAH
Boycott was not flawed mantra at all. Some sections in the establishment start to think Mush needs to go and that is why they never came to rescue him. If they had not understood that then rigging would have taken place all over Pakistan. Our establishment is ready to take back seat for a while (means 3 to 4 years) to deal these suicide attacks and defamation all over the country otherwise no power except Allah could have stopped them from selection of MQM , Q -league and MMA again to run country for next five years. We have to pay due regards to General Kiyani to understand the bigger nefarious plot against Pakistan army.
Yes indeed, boycott was not the solution. The best scenario would have been that PPP and PML-N would have boycotyted along with PTI and JI, but these parasites (Sharifs and Zardari) could not let go the chance of getting into the parlianment and start sucking blood of poor awam again, thats the reason they didnot boycott.
Democracy is the ultimate solution to all the problems in Pakistan. We all are complaining right now about these corrupt leaders like AZ and NS, that either one come into the power. One is leser evil while the other is a bigger one.
But still the solution is Democracy. If we would have 3-4 fair and free elections (down the road in 10-15 years), like the one we just had, these corrupt CHORS would be thrown out of the political arena of Pakistan forever and then middle class person would also be able to become the PM or Pres. of pakistan.
Edie man your comments
“I suggest you take a stroll through interior Sindh, or visit the fields of the Punjab……”
will fire back to you. Have you ever visited Aziz abad, Lalo khet, Orangi town, Nazimabad other then Clifton and Defence. MQM do have a very strong support in middle and poor Karachi. I never like MQM. I have talked with many of my friends in Karachi that why they are voting for MQM and they replied that the only alternative to MQM can be Jamat Islami and they are not contesting so they will vote for MQM as they dont like other ethinic parties like PPP(they act as ethinic party in Sind) or ANP won in Karachi.
MQM won the extra seats which were won by Jamat Islami last year. As for rigging, well MQM may have casted bogus votes but you can not say MQM won just because of bogus votes.
No matter how I hate MQM, for sake of democracy, tolorate the vote bank of all parties.
Dear friends
Many thanks for the comments here. I respect the point of view[s] of those who disagree with the arguments made in this article - indeed this is neither the ‘whole’ truth nor can any opinion piece be!
It is just a little effort to initiate a debate on the issue of “politics” - the kind of political line that we take in the name of larger causes.
I don’t expect the pro-boycott individuals and groups to agree here. Obviously they had strong reasons to advocate for it- all I am saying is that events have proved to be a little different.
Further, a few responses:
a. The lawyers’ movement and the student movements are new, fabulous chapters in our national life. There can be no two opinions about it. Whether they are representative, inclusive and an ALTERNATIVE to political parties is a separate matter. They cannot be and should not be confused as such.
b. The political parties have suffered in the last ten years. Their leaderships have been exiled, jailed, disqualified and even assassinated - not to mention how the media has painted them black overlooking other bigger cases of corruption and permanent milking of the public budget cow…
c. Indeed the lawyers’ movement generated a momentum that benefited the political parties and their leaders; and there I agree with Aqil.
d. That there was pre-poll rigging and selective instances of irregularities is well known and in spite of that electoral process and public participation made a difference especially when there were loud voices that elections were useless, a ‘sham’ and fraud. And, now the same people are asking the new parliament to restore judges even when the parliament has not MET ONCE, nor a government has come into effect.
e. If there had been full participation in the elections, there would have been a greater turnout and a better chance of defeating the status quo parties. Anyway, that’s history, but there is no harm in learning a lesson or two here..
f. I did not mean to be disrespectful to the urban groups lest I am misunderstood – I am just reacting to all the labels that people provided to Mohtarma and Mian Saheb for selling out and participating in the elections (even on the platform) and there was a post at ATP that questioned whether to vote or not.. that amounts to undermining mainstream politics that is essential for democracy, howsoever tainted and truncated it might be and howsoever questionable the leaderships might be. History has also shown that any way to oust a leader, other than elections and the political process, does not work. This is why the two leaders were back last year despite all the efforts to keep them out.
g. we have to remember that we have to pressurise our political parties to be more democratic, accountable and fair - but the way is not to demonize them and boycott them and call them as traitors and collaborators but to work with them, advise them, debate with them and engage with them.
Otherwise with politics of slander and disengagement, the old agenda of defaming political parties and politics is unwittingly supported by those who are struggling for social change in Pakistan
thanks again
I personally think that major political parties should not boycott elections since this is the only means for a peaceful change - rigging or no rigging.
Having said that, the APDM(minus NS) boycott have had its value in the process:
A) Imran Khan, Jamaat and the Nationalist parties could “afford” to boycott because in any case they would not have gained more than 10 seats.
B) By taking an extreme position, they forced Nawaz Sharif and co to also take an election stand for restoration of Judges.
C) By not participating in elections, the scattered vote for Tehrik i Insaaf and Jamaat has gone to Nawaz Sharif which has had a decent impact on Noon League’s showing at the results table.
The elections results being what they are does not mean that conducting a “fair” election was Musharraf’s plan / Q League’s plan all along.
Musharraf double crossed America for many years by “hunting with the fox and running with the hare” for many years as someone recently wrote in the papers.
Musharraf double crossed BB by inviting her in and then not providng her enough security and “letting” the extremists take her out - quite conveniently.
However, looks like Gen Kiyani has double crossed Musharraf this time round!! HA HA HA
Remember that Gen Kiyani was the ISI chief and has taken part in all the manouverings of Musharraf for the last few years. Now that he has reached the fountain of power, the COAS throne itself, it has taken Kiyani a mere few weeks to cut Musharraf and the Q League loose by not allowing the ISI to interfere with the elections. Musharraf is now the fall guy and the COAS stands to be a big winner. Notice all the visits from top Generals and Senators from US to the new boss in Rawalpindi. It is clear that Musharraf is old news and his resignation “in the interest of the nation” is a matter of weeks if not months.
It is the nature of politics that friends and partners are all transient and pursuit of power is supreme - laws of Machiavellian politics are as strong as those from Physics.
The one fundamental mistake that Musharraf did was shedding his uniform and for this the credit must go to BB. She did outwit Musharraf that he will be acceptable to PPP as long as he was in his civilian clothes. However, perhaps Musharraf took this bait only at the guarentee of the Americans. HA HA HA!!! But then the Americans are the ones who invented this game. Checkmate!
I do appreciate both Justice Chaudary and Musharraf for their contibution towards improving the conditions of Pakistanis in their own separate ways. Pakistan indeed is a crazy country and it does require crazy people to lead.
Look at what the “democratic” process has brough forward - one crowd mad about Zaradari and the other about the Brothers Sharifof. From one billionaire to another - the leadership “struggle” will continue and good luck to Pakistan and its “bulging forieng reserves.
Dear Sir/Madam,
Democracy as a system of governance and interest representation demands respect for dissent and opposition. It recognizes the principle of majority rule and guarantees protection of minorities. Democracy also builds faith in electoral contestation to gain public office and gives legitimacy to political parties as primary instruments for acquisition and transfer of power from one set of individuals to another.
Unfortunately, despite the significance of the above elements only the power full elite are fitted in power and Pakistani are always left at the mercy of circumstances. As this policy is denial of right of Pakistani people to rule their country according to their aspiration and desire to built this country, which can provide equal opportunity to all without any discrimination for the establishment of welfare society.
Only the society based on tolerance, equality and justice can be the real guarantee for the prosperous and strong Pakistan there for your intention is invited to the crucial movement which could be the point of distraction or disaster. Change of socio-political system is inevitable to empower the Pakistani at grass route level for rapid development.
See http://www.idp.org.pk
Ilyas khan Baloch
i disagree i believe the APDM boycott consolidated the anti mush vote bank and guarannteed a PML and ANP win in Punjab and NWFP.