Explaining what is happening in Pakistan, and why, is never easy. Never has it been more difficult than it is now. Talking earlier today to the National Public Radio show Here and Now, it struck me again how difficult it is to articulate any explanation of Pakistan’s politics - not only to non-Pakistani audiences, but to Pakistani audiences too.
Consider the recent news stream. Suicide bomb blasts by extremists kill another 30 in Lahore in yet another dastardly attack. Gen. Musharraf calls the National Assembly to meet on Monday, March 17. Supposedly Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari come to an agreement on the government formation but it is no more clear today who the next Prime Minister will be than it was before the meeting. They also insist that they will “restore” the judges but speculations remain rife on just which judges and just how “restored.”
Depending on who you speak to, you are told that Gen. Musharraf is playing games with the parliament by trying to call the opposition’s hand before they have decided on the Prime Minister issue. Others tell you that it is the politicians themselves who are playing games not only with the cat and house of Prime Ministerial candidates but also with the judges and the lawyers movement. Meanwhile, the extremists continue their deadly game of murder and mayhem as they did in Lahore.
At the end of the day the real losers are - as they always are - the people of Pakistan. It is they who suffer the instability. It is they who are killed. It is they who languish in uncertainty. The costs of uncertainty are never trivial, but it becomes particularly horrendous with suicide bombers blowing themselves up.
What is most disturbing and truly dangerous is that as Gen. Musharraf keeps fighting for his personal survival and position and as the politicians keep fumbling in their indicisive daze, it is the extremist forces that stand to gain by playing simultaneously on the citizen’s dislike for Gen. Musharraf and distrust for the main political leaders of our time.
No one is clear on who will rule Pakistan tomorrow. But it is clear that uncertainty rules Pakistan today. And that is not good for anyone except the extremists who seek to destabilize the country and breed anarchy and chaos.
Agreed, but one thing is definitely certain that is, if the new civilian dispensation is not able to convincingly explain their policies towards thorny issues including so called war on terror while putting our own interest on the table, certainly they will be inviting their wrath in the shape of sanctions, arm-twisting by the donors etc.etc. Let’s pray for the new government to cope-up with the gigantic tasks ahead. God bless our country.
I think our ulema should condem these blasts openly and this should be aired on media to counter brain washing done by some extremists.
We are used to driving in life by looking in the back mirror.
There is a paradigm shift in the society of pakistan. Peace is old news and terrorism is the real and present danger.
This wave of terrorism will not go away by blessing or cursing these people. It will be a long, hard, bloody fight between people who support morality and rule of law and these terrorists who just know brute force. Unfortunately, our “pragmatic” President does not have the moral and legal force behind him to fight these terrorists since he himself has broken all laws of the land. We need to fight with moral authority and fight for rule of law. Only then will the rest of the country stand behind the army, police and the other law enforcement organizations.
I hope the state of things to come just turns around. But, looking at what happened in Iraq, Afghanistan and Algeria, it does not look like we can easily “talk” to these terrorists.
The one sign of hope out of Iraq has been the recent surge of troops which was combined on the ground with initiatives to include dissentors in the sunni areas in the security system of these neighborhoods and to listen and give in to political demands of the sunni tribal leadership. These manouverings in Iraq have forced a separation of ways between hardcore terrorists and the local disgruntled sunni population allowing the army to then neutralize the terrorist cells.
Something similar on these lines might also work in the tribal areas. However, the perception has to be clarified on who is really incharge? We have governors, core commanders, intelligence officials, the President, the Politicos, the CIA and the American and Nato forces operating and there is no clarity on chain of command / who is making the decisions.
The recent elections in Pakistan give a strong backing to the Nawaz-Zardari government and these two can then have the moral authority to take the decisions onthe ground.
But then, speaking from the past history of the Pakistan Army and its American counterpart, I think the Army will not allow the politicians on the driving seat. Unlike the US where the civilian leadership has full control over the military, Pakistan’s Army has its own sense of “destiny” and “supreme national interest”.
Maybe Gen. Kiyani has a bit more sense?
Meanwhile, I am baffled at the ther karachi stock exchange. Even the killing of BB did not dent the enthusism of investors and the markets are touching new highs. Either the investors are too optimistic and are not considering the real risks of economic and social meltdown due to these conflicts or they are able to see something that atleast I cannot see on the horizon.
The bill for oil imports, the huge trade defict and faltering exports are already causing the government to borrow heavily. The instability in the country will further erode the health of the economy.
We must leave the restoration of Judges problem to the Nawaz Sharif and Zardari Alliance. Mian Nawaz Sharif has once committed himself then he will stand by his words, that I am sure.
Let us give the newly elected parliamentarians some gap so that they can do their alignment and complete the procedures and formalities and take their responsibilities. I certainly hope that they must be more than eager than us to deal with this current problem of extremism more than we are.
I too agree with what you have written. The morale of the nation is down due to one person, who according to shareefuddin peerzada is in high spirits and enthusiatic (as reported by newspapers today). He is in no mood to quit and i agree the worst has not yet come…may God save our country…
Yes indeed - Musharraf regime has tried its maximum to delay the parliament session by carrying out such attacks in order to find solutions to save him in case the judiciary is restored…..
Last night I saw the former chief justice of Pakistan, Sajjad Ali Shah in Hamid Mir’s capital talk who like many others was also smelling sort of a conspiracy in the ongoing events of terror and uncertainity. It is feared that the latest wave of terror might be sponsored by the government to buy some time for gaining some political support for its allyes in the parliament plus to create an envoirnment where the new parliament can prioritize nothing but the restoration of law and order.
I agree with what you have written. I feel your pain. But I guess I disagree when you write its never easy to explain the situation. A single man just wants to stay in the power. Doesn’t care about the country, the poor people, the bombings and the lives. He wants to continue to be the biggest badmassh and the worst dictator in the history of poor Pakistan. Everyday you think its the worst; but wait, let him stay and write the destiny of Pakistanies, and you ain’t seen nothing yet.