Politicians Let Down Pakistan
By Naeem Malik
14 September, 2007
Countercurrents.orgThe People of Pakistan are coming to realise that they are about to be let down by its political classes once again. Nawaz Sharif, leader of the Muslim League, had raised people's expectations by declaring his return from forced exile to lead the struggle for the return of democracy and civil governance to Pakistan. His subsequent return and docile surrender to the authorities and his subsequent flight back to Saudi Arabia to continue the remaining period of his exile left the people of Pakistan disillusioned with its politicians. As a result the opposition's call for a protest against the military's action was a non-event. Nawaz's political fortunes nose-dived his popularity and credibility both suffered a setback.
The people are expecting the judiciary will stand firm. The courts could deny the military dictator what the politicians are quite happy to assist Musharraf obtain in return for personal favours, like amnesty from charges pending or ability to become prime minister for third and subsequent times. The judiciary might deliver, as Chief Justice Chaudry says that the courts "had to do justice even though the heavens may fall". Justice delivered by the courts might bring about a revolutionary situation, except the absence of a political party able and willing to dislodge the military from its dictatorial role in Pakistani politics, might not bring the results peoples of Pakistan deserve and long for. We may still have to put up with Martial Law just so that the judiciary can be silenced.
The political history of Pakistan is full of examples of how Pakistani political leaders have at critical points either lost their nerves, or for personal or short-term benefits have given the army a lifeline when the army's credibility and popularity have been at its lowest. Certainly, Benazir's first term as Prime Minister could have been eventful in denying the army any role in the governance of Pakistan. However, Aslam Baig, heading the military at the time, was able to dictate to her the terms and conditions on which the civilian rule was allowed to return to Pakistan. These conditions allowed the army to both continue it domination of Pakistan's civil society, including, in the private and the public sectors and re-coup its political credibility over a period of time. The terms Benazir agreed with the army at the time made it very difficult for her administration to make the economic and political changes the peoples of Pakistan were expecting as a result of returning her to power. That lowered her public credibility. The army was able to dislodge her administration within two years. Nawaz willingly took power, when he should have stood by her in order to strengthen democratic institutions. Instead, he was allured by the possibility of being in government. His tenure in office also did not last long. Both Benazir and Sharif's subsequent tenures in government were uneventful except in the scandals that
ensued. Benazir's husband earned the title, not altogether undeserved, of Mister ten-percent.Nawaz was implicated in several banking irregularities and financial scandals. All this ultimately ended in the direct takeover of the governance of Pakistan by the army in 1999. The credibility of all politicians was at such low ebb that, Musharraf, despite being a military dictator, was popular when he took over the country. The often-repeated bogey of corruption and his similar promise to clean Pakistani institutions of corruption attracted him widespread support. He failed to clean Pakistani politics and some Pakistanis at the time doubted whether that was his real intention behind the takeover of the country or just an often-repeated formula the previous military generals have used to declare military rule. However, eight years of military administration, corruption remains as before and the military is implicated in many of the scandals since. The collapse of the bridge on the Northern Bypass in Karachi earlier this month highlighted the level of corruption Musharraf's administration has been involved in since the army's takeover of Pakistan. It transpired, following the collapse of the bridge resulting in several casualties that the contract for the Northern Bypass was given to a military linked organisation, the National Logistic Cell, bypassing any established tendering procedures. By its own charter the National Logistic Cell does not qualify for civil engineering work as the debate in the National Assembly highlighted following the collapse of the bridge.
There is another ingredient that has helped the Pakistan military to maintain its hold over the country and that is the geo-political requirements of United States in the region. Ayub Khan's fortune as military dictatorship of the sixties was tied with the requirements of the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Pakistan under Ayub's rule proved to be necessary and reliable partner for the United States, mainly because of its geography. The U2 affair in which a reconnaissance plane was shot down in the Soviet Union flew from Peshawar in Pakistan.
Pakistan was an active and reliable member of SEATO and CENTO treaties designed by the USA to combat what it conceived as Soviet expansion in Asia. General Zia's administration, in the eighties was central to the struggle between United States and the Soviet Union after the Vietnam war. The ultimate demise of the Soviet Union is mainly attributable to the military struggle in Afghanistan between the Soviet Union and the United States administered and executed through the Pakistan military. The people of Pakistan, apart from those in Afghanistan were the main victims of that war. Kalashnikov culture became the dominant element in Pakistani society and its impact is still very noticeable. Musharraf's military administration was given a lifeline as a result of the events following 9/11. The invasion of Afghanistan by United States put Pakistan in the position of the frontline state in the war on terror. Today Pakistan has deployed over 90,000 soldiers in the region surrounding Afghanistan. Pakistan's military is suffering daily casualties. United States is playing a key role in propping up Musharraf and is alluring political leaders it thinks could prove worthwhile partners in the War on terror. Begum Bhutto is the politician of Washington's choice. However, they still want to maintain Musharraf in overall control of Pakistan and Benazir to give political credibility he needs to survive the current crisis of governance in Pakistan.Among the people of Pakistan, military is very much discredited. Its popularity is it's lowest. Any politician giving a lease of life to such an institution would suffer a heavy loss of popularity. United States and its geo-political manoeuvrings is even more hated among the peoples of Pakistan and any politician singing from the hymn sheet provided by Washington would likewise find themselves even more unpopular. Despite this the two main political leaders are trying to come to some accommodation with these two most un-popular ingredients of the volatile Pakistan we find today.
Author is a civil rights activists and IT professional in Britain. He can be contacted on [email protected]
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