Adil Najam
Less thank a week ago I had written that “Uncertainty Rules Pakistan.” Since then the uncertainty has compounded.
I write this just a few hours before the 13th National Assembly meets in Islamabad and nearly a month since the general elections, and there is still no clear sense on who the next Prime Minister will be. In fact, it is not even clear who the Speaker of the National Assembly might be (the Speaker is generally elected before the Prime Minister and one would have assumed that at least this would not be a subject of speculation at this point).
Gen. Musharraf continues to fumble as seems to constantly loose support on all fronts. His public support is abysmal, his personal safety so fragile that he is rarely seen in public, his control over the political reigns seems strong but the economy is in a free fall and bombings so rampant that his government seems to have no control whatsoever over public safety. Without his uniform he seems to be less and less able to influence, let alone command, his military colleagues. And the patronage he once received from George Bush in USA has also reduced to a trickle as President Bush is himself nearly as lame a duck as Gen. Musharraf and none of his (Bush’s) likely successors has a single good think to say about Gen. Musharraf.
Meanwhile, the judges issue and the lawyer’s demands - the single most poignant political issue in the country - remains unresolved and without any signs of how it might be resolved.
Most disturbing of all is the spate of violence that continues. Karachi and Lahore and Islamabad but were the latest victims in the spiral of violence and mayhem that has left a country demoralized, dejected, and depressed. Bungling US missile strikes inside Pakistan only serve to fuel the rise of new crops of Taliban and others prone to violent means. Too many Pakistanis in too many places seem to be dying without reason. And this does not make for good politics.
In short, Gen. Musharraf has clearly become less popular and more detrimental than anything to the national interest, but the stock of the political parties has also dwindled and once again they are seen as bumbling, self-serving and in disarray. Meanwhile, the forces of violence and extremism continue to rise.
Parliament will meet today not in a celebratory mood but under the heavy clouds of uncertainty, confusion and - frankly - national anger. The prognosis cannot be pleasant and optimism is not a word one can honestly use. But hope we must. Indeed, we must hope against hope. Because once hope is lost, nothing else remains.
Those who will take their oath today are not heroes, but they do have heroic responsibilities before them. No one seems sure whether they will, but they could rise to the occasion. They have it in their power to defy the odds. To deny that which is being feared of them. To rise beyond anyone’s dreams. To do that which no one believes that they will, but which they could. Indeed, they must. To bring back real and meaningful democracy to Pakistan.
Just a few days ago I was speaking on the role of Constitutions in post-conflict societies at the Harvard Law School, I am under no illusion whatsoever that the mere meeting of a parliament means the return of democracy. Democracy demands much more from a nation, from all of us. But this I know. The meeting of the parliament bodes well for democracy. If nothing else, it is a step in the right direction. And for that reason alone, I am happy that the National Assembly is ready to meet. I hope things go well. I will not be holding by breath in celebration or in anticipation, but I will be uttering a silent prayer. A silent prayer for Pakistan. A silent prayer that those who are taking their oaths today will live by them and do justice and honor to the oath they take.
You can visit ATP on your Mobile Phone. Here's how!
ARY and GEO
They show live speeches of Altaf Husain.Nothing that I am against it. But this tells one thing this so called free media like danda or money.
Musharraf does not use any of this so he is the only one left to be bashed.
faraz> That’s great news. Is there a way to email Javeed Hashmi to voice our gratitude?
Good news is that on the day, Pakistan’s first women fighter pilots converted to F-7Ps is the day Pakistan also nominated a woman as the frontrunner for the office of the speaker.
Even though we’ve had a woman prime minister twice we have never had a woman speaker (permanent), though Jahanara Shahnawaz presided over a PCA session as early as 1948.
Well said, Adil! “…may not be heroic but have a heroic responsibility…” None is heroic before the heroic chance. For the first time we have seen two bickering aspirants of power to reconcile their seemingly irreconcilable positions. The Murree Accord has been an obvious consternation for scheming presidency. Ruling a country is way beyond managing a small organization. There are numerous power players and pressure groups whose overt and covert ropes tame the zeal of prospective governors. It is never simple like it appears to be. The other day it was reported that Americans had developed “reservations for reinstating the pre Nov judiciary”. Well, well, as if there wasn’t already enough in our plate. Bush may seem a lame duck, but those whose interests he has served and forwarded aren’t so. The emerging heroes have to keep that in mind as well. And our efficient bureaucracy excels in making us rich in crisis. There won’t be an overnight rich crop of angels all over the place either. The parties expected to take reins have never been revolutionaries. At best they are luke-warm reformists. Yes, for ones like us who sit on the other side of the fence, hope seems the best sausage. I join you in the prayer with a quote: Hope is a good breakfast but a bad supper.
Faraz! democarcy is a good and self correcting system and there is no reason why it can not work out in Pakistan. I think we need atleast following five condition to make it work.
1) Internal voting in political parties to avoid dynastic politics.
2) Distribution of powers at provincial and city level to avoid ethinic conflicts.
3) A better paid and independent police to avoid mafia type politics.
4) Free media.
5) Independent Judionary .
Great news! Javeed Hashmi has announced that he will fight for “internal voting in political parties”.
@Muhammad Zafir Zia
Agree, MQM has to be dealt with a iron hammer, quickly, before it makes Karachi into a killing ground for sake of its traditional victimization songs and black mail.
Here’s a pessimistic take on democracy in Pakistan. This is a different Faraz by the way.
Is it logical to say that democracy will only work if the following is true:
1) All the elected, or at least majority of them, are good, moral, and sincere people who put the interests of the country above themselves. If there’s more bad people than good people then no system will ever work.
2) People are allowed to exercise their right to vote freely without fear of any backlash.
3) All actual votes are counted, and no fake votes are counted.
4) People make informed and educated decisions when it comes time to vote.
I don’t think we meet any of these conditions in a satisfactory way. Democracy is a proven system, but any system is only as good as the people who are part of it.