Shaheryar Azhar
(A commentary analyzing the conditions that led to the now open confrontation between PML-N and PPP after the Supreme Court’s verdict disqualifying Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif from electoral politics).
There we go again…
The seeds of this impending implosion were laid in the very victory of democratic forces on February 18, 2008 when a free and fair elections brought eight-years of General Musharraf’s illegitimate rule to an end. The seeds lay in the split in Pakistan’s civil society and democratic forces that took place at the very moment of their victory. These seeds were:
- Inability of large part of the ‘lawyers movement’ to realize that a credible election just took place despite their call for its boycott. That the basis of this election was none other than the ‘political deal’ hammered out between PPP and General Musharraf that they had vociferously decried. Instead of realizing this new political reality and reaching out to the other side for hammering a bargain, they opted for continuation of their confrontational politics as if they were still battling General Musharraf.
- Inability of the leadership of PPP, particularly President Zardari, and its coalition partners (MQM and ANP) to fully appreciate that ‘the deal’ itself was made possible by the struggle of the lawyers movement and other democratic forces and they also needed to reach out to them and somehow bring them in the fold.
For each to have accommodated the other, it was imperative that the NRO and ‘the deal’ itself should have been accepted on one hand and the judiciary, including Chief Justice Chaudhry restored on the other.
Of such short-sightedness are political blunders made. All those who have supported one position or the other, instead of the compromise, are also guilty. This is a collective failure on our part, not just of the political players.
Pakistan is straight heading for a train wreck and the biggest losers will be the (divided) civil society and democratic forces notwithstanding their heroic 60-year struggle.
There is still time for both sides to pull back. Relevant questions each will ask are following:
- Could President Zardari be isolated from a good portion of its leadership and thus the divide between the democratic forces bridged this way?
- If not, would the lawyers movement (with help from political opponents of Zardari) pull back its threatened ‘march and sit-in’ and offer some kind of a compromise?
- Is there a possibility of ‘cooler heads’ in both camps to prevail on each other and a middle ground found?
- Would General Kayani see in this confronation a chance for him personally to enter the corridors of power illegally and thus destroy the remaining Pakistan?
I would plead that each of us work for Option # 3 and avoid the zero-sum game that the infantile Pakistani establishment and political forces inevitably can not stop from playing.
Shaheryar Azher is the Moderator of ‘The Forum’, where this commentary was first shared.
You have to see the realities on the ground instead of talking hypothetically in “ifs” and “buts
The essence of true Parliamentary democracy lies in the political system built around the people and not around individuals.Political parties in Pakistan are owned by families as an industrial unit is owned by an industrialist or landed property is owned by a landlord.It is because of this curse that we find ourselves in such situations.So what if Sharifs are out.The Party if run on democratic principles should have built in mechanism to face such crisis.But none of the major party leaders are democratically elected,hence those leaders when threatened create crisis.What qualifications Hamza Shahbaz,Capt retd Safdar Asif Zardari,Bilawal,Asfandyar Wali or FazlulRehman have and no one in these parties have?The answer is the pathetic reality of our politics and this is the main source of all our troubles.Remove it and see the difference.
1. In my book, Musharraf’s rule was more legitimate than another stint by Zardari/Nawaz Sharif – individuals known to be corrupt.
2. The confrontation between PPP and PML-N didnt appear out of the blue when the Feb 18 elections were conducted. These two parties were diametrically opposed to each other from the word go, and their interests coincided insofar as they managed to unseat Musharraf.
3. Lawyer’s movement is nothing but a selfish movement aimed at asserting the ‘so-called independence’ of the judiciary and legal community. Every Pakistani knows how corrupt the lawyer community itself is. The fact that it sponsored by Aitizaz Ahsan (who defended known corrupt individuals such BB and Zardari in not two or three, but 14 anti-corruption cases and was Federal Minister in previous PPP govts) and Nawaz Sharif, only reinforces the point that so-called ‘Lawyer’s movement’ is just a farce.
4. Iftikhar Chaudry is just a PML-N stooge. If he was really above-the-board, we would not have partnered with people like Aitizaz and Nawaz Sharif (whose party himself stormed the Supreme Court during CJ Sajjad Ali Shah’s days).
5. Civil Society is just a politically correct term for Aunties and yuppies who have plenty of free time to pretend to be ‘left-liberal’.
6. Pleading and hoping for our political leadership to act more maturely – and doing nothing to improve Pakistan yourself – will get us nowhere.
Everyone seems to be convinced that Zardari “did this.”
Just for the sake of argument, what if he did not.
What if this was really a an independent decision by the judges on the merit of the case.
Even if just for sake of argument, just think about it. What if? Afterall, Zardari does not really gain anything from this that he could not have gotten otherwise and the only ones strengthened here are the Sharifs. For example, there were far easier ways to remove teh Shahbaz govt in Lahore, for example with coalition with Q League.
Sometimes, history does work in odd ways.
Interesting analysis, but I would disagree on the main point.
You seem to suggest that the lawyers movement and civil society should have given up its demand on justice restoration somehow. BUt also say that the justices should have been restored. Once cannot have it both ways.
Imagine for a moment that immediately after coming to power the government had actually restored Chaudhry and the judges. What might have happened. I think Pakistan would be in a better position today and the government would have been stronger today. I really do.