Adil Najam
I found this full page ad in Dawn very interesting. And also very democratic. Maybe a national conversation does need to be held on who (or what qualities) makes for a good prime Minister?
(click picture to see a larger, more readable, image)
Do you have any ideas? Lets try to do this not on the basis of who can win, but who (or what qualities) should we want as our Prime Minister. At least as an intellectual exercise, and a national conversation, we should be able to get out of Benazir Bhutto v. Nawaz Sharif v. Pervaiz Elahi type of ‘pragmatic’ discussion into a discussion of what we really would like to see in a Prime Minister. Dawn’s set of criteria is a very good place to start.
So, folks, give us your ideas but please please please do not again repeat the same old slogans and naaras about why you don’t like who you don’t like. Lets try to focus this on who you like, and why. And even this is someone who has no real chance of winning, lets at least think about what qualities makes you wish that this person would win.
The ad gives these criteria for the person we should be looking for:
- He should be bold in upholding the law without fear or favor, but his actions must be tempered by the heart.
- He must be learned in teh art of policy making, but not lacking in mobilizing popular support for his policies.
- He must be honest to a fault, but neither dull nor unimaginative as to be able to figure our white-collar crime.
- He must deal with civil servants with firmness and retain an unerring belief in teh rule of law. He must allow a sense of participation around him so the Pakistani electorate is able to guide his thinking. He must shepard a nation of activists – not police a fold of huddled sheep.
One should note that they clarify: “This man or indeed woman could be completely unknown. Or it could be that astute and honest politician who long deserves recognition for integrity, competence, or even an ability to perform a deft Machiavellian maneuver.”
Dakter: Only Imran…..strong, charismatic, well versed, Not corrupt, nationalist…Most importantly did not sell out for personal gains when he was offered to be in the govt……I would stick to Imran..but i see more chaos down the line for Pakistan….REVOLUTION may be in store for us.
Must say reading these comments is sad. We have not really been able to come up with too many names of Pakistanis we would be proud to call our PM… just old debates being repeated. Here are a few of my nominees:
Abdul Sattar Edhi
Pervaiz Hoodbhoy
Talat Hussain
Asma Jehangir
Justice Waheehuddin
Javaid Ghamdi
My biases are obvious, but before you attack my biases why not put your own on the table.
1. I want my candidate to be loyal to pakistan first.
2. Must have a clear vision of Pakistan’s nuclear program and wo’nt collapse against US pressure of srundering pak nukes. Must resist US hype of nukes being in danger of terrorits. Secure our nukes on our own without surrendering confidential info to US in the name of protection form extermists.
3. Must be commited to strengthening institutions and set off a new trend of instutes being stronger than people.
Aitzaz Ahsan
He was selected for Pakistan Civil Service but decided not to join it.
He single handedly helped Iftikhar Chaudhry back as chief justice and start the current trend towards democracy.
He has the intellectual capacity and IQ. Not like the army generals who went to Kakul Academy because they could not enter the engineering or medical schools.
He does not appear to have connections that enabled some the technocrat politicians to join the multinational companies like Citi Bank.
He is still under house arrest while the so called popula leaders Sharif and BB are out even though they have amassed billions of dollars in foreign banks.
He does not appear to be connected to CIA who are being protected by the current army establishment.
Election of a true and sincere leader will be next to impossible as long as we have the feudal system in place. A true democracy will never take roots until we rid ourselves of this feudal system so that people can vote freely. In my opinion, this is one of the root causes of the mess we are in today.